


A Not So Easy Courtship

by Casey_Wolfe



Series: Easy Courting [2]
Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Alternate Universe - Werewolves Are Known, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Courtship, Established Relationship, Fluff, Foursome - M/M/M/M, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, M/M, Mating Bites, Multi, Polyamory, Rare Pairings, Romance, Shapeshifting, Werewolf!Grant, Werewolf!Heffron, Werewolf!Liebgott, Werewolf!Roe, Werewolf!Speirs, Werewolf!Talbert, Werewolf!Webster, Werewolf!Winters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-21
Updated: 2017-03-19
Packaged: 2018-09-26 02:24:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 28,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9857795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Casey_Wolfe/pseuds/Casey_Wolfe
Summary: When the Easy Pack is sent into the Ardennes, the mated Alphas have to do what they can to hold the pack together.  Bonds are tested, courtships are made, and somehow most of them make it out the other side.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I blame Pup. The awaited sequel to "An Easy Courtship."

Surrounded by snow and the enemy, it was hard to tell which might kill them first.  Despite all his efforts, Dick knew they would lose men.  Selfishly though, he tried to protect Easy from the worst of it.  He was still their Alpha, even if he was Battalion XO now.

They had been through alot together, the pack.  They’d lost men, had plenty of injuries among them, but through it all they’d stuck together.  At the moment, their pack bonds were being put to the test, stuck in this wintery hell with no proper gear, not enough food or ammo, and having no idea when help would arrive.

“I’m going to check the line,” Dick said.  It was his turn to go out.

Nix’s face was buried under the upturned collar of his coat.  “If you freeze to death.  I call dibs on your jacket,” was the muffled reply.

Dick’s lips quirked.  “I love you too, Nix.”  He dropped a kiss onto Nix’s head.  As expected, Nix braved the cold long enough to tip his head back and steal a proper kiss before hiding in his coat once more.  “Get in the foxhole,” Dick urged.

“I’ll wait here ‘til you get back,” Nix insisted.

“Alright.  I’ll try to be quick.”

Dick shifted into his wolf form, which blended perfectly in with their environment, and jogged off to check Dog’s line first.  Even in this form, the cold was biting and too long would cause the pads of his feet to sting.  Some of the wolves had tried having their paws wrapped but it didn’t do any good if they attempted to walk around.

The day was clear, the fog from the morning having lifted.  Dick knew it was only a matter of time before they were attacked.  He wanted to be sure the gaps in the lines had been closed before that happened.  It wasn’t so much Dog or Easy he had to worry about, but Fox was a mess and they kept losing Third Battalion on one flank and the 501st on their other.

Moving through Dog’s line, he caught the scent of pine and smoke and spice.  Sure enough, a large black wolf appeared, coming to meet him.  They rubbed their muzzles together briefly before shifting back to human form.

“Ron,” Dick greeted, managing a smile.

“Dick,” Ron answered fondly, pressing their cold cheeks together.  “Gap’s closed,” he reported when he pulled away.  “Got some of my wolves set up on that end to make sure the five-oh-one doesn’t wander off again.”

Dick smirked.  “We’ll see how long that lasts.”

Ron lifted a shoulder.  “Only so much to be done.”

“Walk with me?”

“Let me grab my Thompson.”  Ron walked over to a nearby foxhole, covered with a tarp.  “At least one of us should be armed.”

Dick raised a brow.  “I have my teeth.”

Ron’s grin showed his own.  “Never hurts to have something that can bite a little sooner.”

As they retraced Dick’s steps, going to check on Easy, they pressed their shoulders together.

It had been hard on the four of them whenever they had to be apart, but Dick knew it had to be the worst on Ron - seeing as how he was in a separate company.  Now though, Carwood was alone too, Dick and Nix running between them in their duties as battalion staff.  At least Carwood had the pack.

As it was, Dick missed his mates.  He missed having them all together.  He liked having them close, where he could watch them, protect them.  Mostly though, he missed the simple intimacy of lying together, of lazy kisses.

“Looks like I’ll have to see Nix on the way back,” Ron mused.

Sure enough, when Dick looked to where he and Nix kept their foxhole in some poor excuse for a CP, Nix was talking to a runner.  Dick felt guilty for being glad it wasn’t him.  He was so tired of dealing with useless orders and intelligence.  It was one of the reasons he and Nix traded out rounds; they were able to get away from the CP for a bit, and it had the bonus of seeing their mates.

“I promised him I wouldn’t be long.”

“Mhm.”  Ron smirked.  “We all know how you get when you visit Easy.”

Dick froze, halting Ron as well.  After a moment, he tugged Ron down into a crouch.  Sure enough, through the trees, Dike was wandering.  At first, Dick assumed it was to go to the CP and make himself a bother, but no, the man was just walking aimlessly.

“Before you ask…” Ron began.

Dick sighed, standing.  “Nix suggested he get lost in the woods.”

“Not a bad idea,” Ron agreed dryly.

Dick shook his head, starting to walk again.  “You know I can’t let that happen.  As much as I want him gone, I don’t want him _dead_ to get my way.”

“Until he puts Easy in danger, you mean.”

Ron knew him like a book.  And really it wasn’t just Dick’s pack anymore.  As his mates, Ron, Nix, and Carwood had just as much right to decide what happened with the pack as he did.  It was just as well that Carwood was on Dick’s side when it came to _disposing_ of Dike.

The man was human, which wouldn’t have been a problem, if he wasn’t so clearly against werewolves.  It was bad enough the man was incompetent - Dick had every confidence in the pack to handle themselves when it came to a battle - but watching Dike look down his nose at the wolves, at Dick’s _mate_ …  It took every ounce of Dick’s control to stick to his morals rather than allow Ron to rip Dike’s throat out.

“Just keep an eye on him,” Dick urged.  He’d had Ron spying on him since before they were even thrust into Bastogne.  Thus far, unfortunately, Dike hadn’t done anything that would get him removed from command.

 _If only Moose were still here_ …  He might have been human, but Moose understood wolves.  He respected them and they respected him in turn.  Moose honored the pack structure, had shown proper deference to Carwood and even Talbert as Beta.  The pack would have done well under his leadership.

An excited yip drew him from his thoughts.  Dick smiled as he realized they’d entered into Easy’s lines.  “The Alphas are here!” someone barked happily - it sounded like Alley.

This was why he wanted Ron to come with him - other than a selfish desire to have him around longer and for Ron to be able to see Carwood.  The pack’s morale was boosted every time one of them came around.

Dick made his way down the line, stopping to talk with the pack members and scent them.  Even their human members enjoyed having a steady hand on their napes and a few kind words.  They may not have been wolves, but men like Christeson, Harry, More, Shifty, and Popeye were pack all the same.

“We’re good, Alpha,” Toye assured.  McClung nodded beside him, though he trembled a little at the cold.

Dick smiled at Perconte using a shifted Bull like a big furry blanket.  It honestly wasn’t the first time.  The wolves snuggled each other as much as possible, especially their humans.

“Doing alright, Alley?” Dick checked, crouching beside he and Liebgott’s hole.

“Hanging in, Alpha.”  Alley and Webster had escaped the hospital together, running back to Easy not a few days before they ended up moving out to Bastogne.  Dick was worried about their injuries being healed - especially Alley - but he knew Doc Roe was keeping a sharp eye on them.

Liebgott scrubbed their cheeks together a little more than usual, and Dick didn’t say a word.

Ron was visiting with Guarnere and Babe, the young werewolf having been the only replacement to find a place within the pack.  “No worries, Alpha,” Guarnere was assuring.  “Those wolves ain’t gonna get by us.”

Dick assumed they must have been discussing the Nazi werewolves a Fox Company patrol had stumbled upon a few days back.  No one else had seen them since, but Dick knew they were likely out there somewhere, just waiting to strike.

“Alpha,” Guarnere greeted, nodding at Dick.

Babe chirped in greeting, wiggling in place until Dick leaned down and nosed his cheek.  Babe then proceeded to duck his head into his coat to hide from the cold - and likely his blush, as Guarnere teased him for being a pup.

Dick continued to move down the line, he and Ron greeting the pack members as they went.

When they made it to about the middle of the line, that was where they found Carwood, sitting side-by-side in a foxhole with Luz.  “Gonna come out of there to see us?” Ron inquired.

From under the shared blanket, Carwood replied, “Not sure it’s worth leaving the warmth.”

“I see how it is,” Ron feigned indifference, starting to walk off.

Carwood reached out and snagged the bottom of Ron’s pants.  “Shut it, Ron.  Get down here and warm me up.”

Ron chuckled, shaking his head.  “Alright, alright,” he caved easily, dropping down into the foxhole.

Luz looked up at Dick, speaking around his cigarette.  “I’ll get outta the way, Alpha.”

“Stay,” Dick insisted.  “I’m going to go check on Fox.”  He didn’t miss Luz’s relief at not having to leave the warmth of Carwood’s side.  To his mates, Dick said, “When I get back, we can go to the CP and see Nix.”

“I’d like that,” Carwood replied with a smile, happily snuggling between Ron and Luz.

Dick smiled at the sight.  Happy mates and pack were always a good thing, especially stuck in the situation they were in.  Dick would be certain to treasure every moment like this one, to keep the pack’s spirits up as much as he could.

“Alpha!”  Dick’s attention was pulled to Tab, who was jogging up to him.  Clearly word had made it down to the other end of the line already.  Talbert crashed into him, nuzzling Dick’s throat.

“Alright, Tab?” Dick asked, taking hold of his nape and giving it a squeeze.

“Better now,” Tab murmured, taking a deep breath to steady himself.

“I won’t be long,” Dick assured his mates, who were already looking perfectly content to wait on him.  To Tab, he encouraged, “Walk with me?”

His Beta nodded obediently, walking close to him as they made their way through the rest of Easy’s line.  “How’s the pack holding up?” Dick inquired.

“They’re good, Alpha, considering…”

Dick nodded.  Didn’t he know it.  “Hoping this weather clears long enough to get some proper drops in.”

“Warm clothes would be nice,” Tab agreed dryly.

“Alpha?”  A head poked up from a foxhole.

“Webster,” Dick greeted, crouching beside the hole.  He knew full well the pup would want attention.  Sure enough, Web turned around on his knees.  If he’d been in wolf form, his tail would have been wagging.  “Wound giving you any trouble?”

“Aches a little,” Web admitted.

Dick rubbed their cheeks together and Web whined.  He tucked his nose under Dick’s chin, melting against him when Dick scruffed his neck.

“Geez, Web,” Hoobler scolded playfully, “share the Alpha, would ya?”  Dick smiled softly over at the other werewolf.  Hoobler smiled back, nodding before turning his attention back to the line.

Along they went, greeting Martin but not waking his foxhole-mate, Buck.  Dick was concerned about him but both Carwood and Tab had been keeping a close watch on him

His lips quirked in amusement at Muck and Malarkey warming Penkala between them, all sharing a smoke as they watched the line.

Roe was passing them on his own check of the pack.  “Nagging everyone?” Tab grunted, a smile playing on his lips.

Roe narrowed his gaze at his fellow wolf - pack Beta or no - and asked, “Dryin’ your damn socks like I told you?”  Tab’s mouth clicked shut and Roe smirked.  “Alpha,” Roe greeted instead, rubbing their faces together before being on his way.

“Damn nag,” Tab muttered and Dick only grinned, shaking his head.

At the end of their line was Tab’s foxhole, determined to be watching their flank.  Dick wouldn’t have wanted his Beta anywhere else.  Tab dropped down into the hole, jostling Grant a bit.  The other wolf looked up and smiled.  “Alpha.  All quiet here.”

Tab nuzzled his nose into Grant’s neck.  The pair were good together and Dick had watched their relationship grow.  Ever since Tab initiated a courtship after the D-Day invasion, he and Grant had become closer until it was rare to see one without the other.  Dick hoped they would have some proper leave soon so they could make things official - it seemed inevitable after all.

Dick crouched to scent mark Grant as well before addressing his Beta.  “Keep an eye out for Dike if you can.  I’ve got Ron on the scent but he’s got other duties to deal with.”

“Will do.”

“Don’t let it distract you.  The pack comes first.”

“Understood, Alpha.”

Dick’s lips quirked.  “Good.”  He nuzzled Tab’s cheek before swiping his tongue across it.  “I’ll be checking on Fox if anyone needs me.”

Dick pulled his jacket closer as the wind kicked up, cursing the damn cold.  He just wanted to make sure Fox was still alive so he could gather up his mates and bustle them off to the CP and steal some time alone with them.  Though rarely did anything go to plan in the Ardennes.


	2. Chapter 2

David was shivering.  He had his knees pulled up to his chest, rifle laid across his lap, breathing onto his hands in a futile attempt to warm them - he had given his gloves to Smokey a couple days ago.

“Hey,” someone greeted.  A tin cup came into view and he looked up to find Liebgott holding onto it.  “Chow.  It’s warm.”

David managed a smile, the cup warming his hands as he took it.  “Thanks, Joe.”

Joe brushed it off.  He hesitated, seeming to think about something a moment, before sitting down beside him.  David didn’t mind the company.  The others were gathering pretty close, sharing body heat and just taking the time to spend with each other.

About half of the pack had been pulled back from the line to rest and eat before they would rotate the others out.  David knew he should try and sleep, but even curled up with Hoobler or Luz or Gene, he never seemed to be warm enough.  It didn’t help when every small noise jolted him awake.

“Eat,” Joe encouraged, nudging his arm.  He nodded to the cup in David’s hand.

Frowning, David scoot closer so their sides touched.  He felt Joe stiffen but before David moved away, the tension left.  Joe leaned over and nudged at David’s cheek with his nose.  It was a simple, affectionate gesture, common between packmates.  Though it still surprised David, given that Joe had never been the type for anything of the sort.

David had only seen Joe give such things in comfort to a hurting packmate.  Though it did seem Joe made Alpha Winters an exception.  It was nice to see a softer side of the normally prickly werewolf, especially directed at _him_ of all people.  Frankly, there had been days David had thought Joe must have hated him.  But then, that just seemed to be who Liebgott was.

David picked at his food in silence, just enjoying the presence of his pack around him.  Joe’s scent was comforting, a strong woodsmoke and warm spice - like cardamom or cinnamon.  It was still distinctive from Alpha Speirs’ in that it lacked a certain wildness about it - not that David was about to admit to knowing Speirs’ scent quite so well, but then he had made it a point to be familiar with the scent of each and every pack member.

Admittedly, he knew some better than others.  Like Gene’s molasses or Babe’s honey.  Lipton’s fresh linen and citrus, Luz’s maple syrup, or Hoob’s nutty oak.  Then there was Tab’s vanilla and lemon scent, even being so heavily covered by Grant’s distinctive cocoa these days - honestly, they smelled like a damn cake; it was rather distracting sometimes.

“Gene.”  David looked over to find Lipton standing off to the side.  “Captain Winters wants you to go over to the five-oh-first to see about getting those supplies you need.  Word is they’ve got some to spare.  I want you to take another wolf with you.  You’ll be able to move quicker that way.”

“I’ll go,” David volunteered.  He wasn’t exactly hungry anyway, and perhaps some time in his wolf form would settle some of the fidgety energy that seemed to be plaguing him.

“Alpha,” Joe argued immediately.

“That’s fine,” Lipton agreed all the same.  “Once you leave Dog’s line, keep alert.  We can’t be sure how well they have things handled.”

“Yes sir,” Gene replied.

Joe’s fingers curled around David’s wrist.  He was surprised to find Joe’s face pinched in concern.  “ _Be careful_ ,” Joe stressed in German.

David gave him a smile.  “ _No worries, Lieb.  We won’t be long._ ”

“ _Don’t like pack going off alone._ ”

“ _Not alone_ ,” David reminded, though he knew that wasn’t quite what Joe meant.

All the same, Joe sighed, rubbing his cheek against David’s shoulder to scent mark him.  David couldn’t help but smile brighter, leaning over to swipe his tongue across Joe’s jaw before getting up to join Gene.  “Shall we?”

“Be careful,” Lipton echoed, clapping them both on the shoulders and steering them in the right direction.

“Yes, Alpha,” David and Gene chorused together, smiling at Lipton’s mutterings of “Damn wolves.”

* * *

Tab sat in a circle of the pack - those that were getting a chance for a break at least.  Lipton nodded his thanks at the offered food before settling down across from him on a little ledge.  It was no surprise the Alpha was mobbed by the wolves almost immediately.

Babe sat between Lipton’s legs, cheek scrubbing against his knee between bites.  Muck scooted up on one side, while Hoobler took the other.  Some of the human pack grumbled a complaint about losing their living furnaces, Tab smirking in amusement.

At least Alley, who was sitting back-to-back with Tab, didn’t move.  Alley’s head was lolled back against his shoulder, occasionally turning his head to snuffle into his hair.

“Okay, Alley?” Tab checked.

The younger wolf hummed an affirmative.

“Good.”

He knew he wasn’t the only one worried about how Alley was holding up with his injuries.  Sure, most of them were sporting them in some form or another these days, but it wasn’t as though they had anything to do but deal with it.  Alley, however, likely shouldn’t have been there at all.  He and Web should have stayed right where they were in that damn hospital, but the stubborn idiots had snuck out.

_Tab’s forehead rested on Dick’s bicep.  His Alpha didn’t mind, continuing to clean the Luger he had picked up.  Lipton was resting up in a haystack.  Nix was doing fuck all at battalion.  And Speirs, well, who ever knew where the Dog platoon leader was?_

_It bothered Tab on occasion, the not knowing.  At least when Nix wasn’t around, they could all safely assume he was conferring with the higher-ups.  The pack worried about their absent Alpha, though probably none more than Tab.  Even the other Alphas seemed to just accept that Speirs had his own place to be._

_Tab sighed, trying to put it from his mind.  The Alpha-Mates had his loyalty, of course.  But the fact remained that he was_ Dick’s _Beta.  It was Dick that had chosen him.  And it was Dick that was the Commanding Alpha of Easy Company._

_“I was thinking of taking the pack for a run,” Tab mentioned, nosing at Dick’s arm.  “They’re getting kind of restless.”_

_“Not a bad idea.  Carwood can watch Easy while we go.”_

_Tab smiled.  He had hoped that Dick would come with them.  “I’d like that.”_

_As he rubbed his face against Dick’s shoulder, his Alpha teased, “Grant’s going to be jealous.”_

_“You know he won’t be.”  His potential mate was curled up in the hay loft with Hoobler and Web, hopefully fast asleep.  Tab knew full well Chuck wasn’t the jealous type, especially not when it came to pack._

_“If you-”_

_Whatever Dick was going to say was cut off by the barn doors slamming open and Liebgott’s cry that Alley was hit._

Tab remembered how his blood ran cold, looking at his shredded packmate on that table.  He and Lipton had been there to comfort Alley.  So had Dick.  But a fury Tab had rarely seen crossed Dick’s face and he was gone in a flash to gather his things, barking orders.  Tab stayed with Alley until Roe arrived before following his Alphas out for blood.

Now here they were, a long way from Holland and freezing their asses off.  They had each other at least.

Because of Dick’s promotion, it was left to Lipton and Tab to lead the pack.  Tab liked to think they were doing just fine under the circumstances, but occasionally he had his doubts.  Usually he would snuggle up to Chuck’s side and try to silence the voice in the back of his head telling him he wasn’t doing enough.  Dick’s visits helped in that regard as well.

Even so, there was only so much Lipton and he could do against Dike.  As though summoned by mere thought, the useless officer in question appeared in their little clearing.  “What’s this?” he demanded.  “Why aren’t you men on the line?”

Tab raised a brow, looking over at Lipton in what amounted to, _Is this guy serious?_

“Sir,” Lipton answered, “we were ordered back off the line in groups by Captain Winters.”

Dike pursed his lips.  “And why didn’t the captain come to me with this himself?”

“Perhaps he couldn’t find you, sir,” Lipton suggested.

Tab had to bite his lip to the point of pain to keep from snickering.

“Well.”  Dike coughed, shifting uneasily as they watched him.  He wiggled his hand.  “See that the men stop with this… fraternizing.  It’s indecent.”

Muck scoffed.  Lipton elbowed him.

Another officer might have called Muck on it, but not Dike.  He stared at them a few moments longer before tottering off into the woods with a yawn.

“What an ass,” Muck commented.

“Indecent?” Alley added with a snort.

“Yeah,” Christenson teased, wiggling his brows as he leaned towards Alley, “you’re influencing us to be sinful.”  Tab laughed, along with the other wolves.

Of course, Christenson was correct in a sense.  Wolves were tactile creatures.  They scented and snuggled and kept each other close - especially in times of stress such as these.  Humans weren’t quite the same, looking down upon such easy touches, especially between members of the same sex.

“It’s different with pack,” Hoobler argued all the same.  “He’ll never understand.”

That too was true.  Even humans within a pack would pick up the same habits, with the wolf members at least, if not each other as well.  They may not have been a traditional pack, but they were just as close as any other.

“Ignore him,” Tab threw out.  He wasn’t about to let Dike’s obvious prejudices interfere with his pack.

Liebgott, who had been sitting off on his own since Web and Roe left, slunk back into their group and commented in his usual gruff manner, “Fuck ‘im.  Easy Pack don’t answer to him.”

“Damn right,” Perconte agreed.

“Boys,” Lipton warned gently.  “No aggravating the situation, alright?  We have enough to worry about.”

As though in perfect protest, Smokey scooted closer to Tab and Alley, trying to leech off some of their heat.  Christenson did the same at their other side.

Lipton shook his head.  “Finish eating,” he said instead.  “I want you to get some rest before it’s time to bring the next lot back.”

Tab hummed in agreement.  He turned a bit, pulling Alley so they were curled around each other.  Next, he reached up and grabbed Smokey, bringing him down into the pile.  Christenson snuggled up to Alley, accepting nuzzles with a soft smile.

Content in their small pile, Tab allowed himself to relax.  The scent of pack was around him, there was warm food in his belly, and no one was shooting at him.  Sleep nipped at his subconscious and his nose turned into Smokey’s neck as he fell into oblivion.

* * *

They shifted into their wolf forms before leaving the relative safety of Dog’s line.  David carried his rifle in his mouth by the strap, while Gene carried his medical pack the same way.

Following the scent trail left by other wolves, they made their way through the biting cold and ever-deepening snow.  The problem was the settling fog and the way their noses watered, making it hard to keep to the trail.

David paused, grunting in complaint.   _Lost the trail again_.  Beside him, Gene sneezed, whining.  Neither of them could smell much of anything anymore.  Visually they weren’t doing much better.  The only choice they had was to double back and hope to pick up the line again.

When David went to press his nose to Gene to signal they should turn around, he caught sight of shadows moving in the trees.

He didn’t think about what he was doing, just shoved Gene sideways, knocking him to the ground.  A rifle went off and David felt a sharp bite, his shoulder on fire as he howled out in pain.  He hit the ground hard, despite the snowpack.

 _“Hold your fire!”_ David heard the order in German, watching as figures seemed to materialize out of the fog.   _“That one’s a medic.”_

Gene was crouched low, growling.  He didn’t make much of an intimidating presence like Guarnere, or Toye, or Bull.  Gene was just a lithe little timber wolf, the reds of his fur standing out even more with white all around them.

 _“Who cares?”_ one of the soldiers demanded of their commander.   _“He’s a wolf.  Kill him and leave them.”_

David snarled, trying to get to his feet to protect Gene, but he stumbled with a yelp.  The tang of blood was sharp in the air.  Gene looked torn between comforting him and keeping on guard.  The decision was made when the soldiers stepped closer and Gene’s lips pulled back, stepping in front of David.

 _“No,”_ the commander ordered, _“You know the rules as well as I do.”_

David never thought he’d find Germans obeying the Geneva Convention, but he wouldn’t complain since that would mean Gene was safe from harm.

 _“Then finish off the other one and let's take him with us,”_ another suggested.

Instead, the commander switched to English, addressing Gene.  “You’re a medic, correct?  You won’t be harmed.  Tend to your comrade.”

Gene hesitated but when David whined when he tried to move, Gene quickly shifted back to his human form.  He grabbed his bag, digging into it.  “Hang on, Webster.”

They both knew that once David was stable, they’d both be taken prisoner.  For the moment though, David was in too much pain to think about a means of getting them out of this.  And he knew Gene was too focused on saving him to be coming up with anything clever himself.

“Don’t move,” Gene growled.  He ripped the sulfa packet with his teeth, pouring it over the wound.  “I gotta roll you to see if it came out or not.”  Gene’s growl only grew when he went back into his bag.  “Where’s the damn morphine.”

David’s ear twitched behind them out of instinct.  At the same moment, wolves and men burst from the trees, flying towards the Germans.  Gene threw himself over David as a shield, and his vision swam from the pain.

One thing he did see was the figure of a jet black wolf leaping onto an enemy.   _Alpha_.  His Alpha was here.


	3. Chapter 3

The blood was bitter on his tongue but Ron didn’t care.  He shifted in mid-stride, taking a knee beside the pair of troopers they’d rescued.   _Pack_.  When their patrol stumbled upon the scene, Ron hadn’t realized these were some of his boys.

Ron scruffed the back of Roe’s neck, pulling him up to meet his gaze.  “Are you hit?”

“No, Alpha,” Roe assured softly, looking down at the wolf.

“Webster.”  Ron recognized the faint scent of sunflowers covered in blood and fear.  “How bad is it?”

“I need to flip ‘im over to see if he’s bleedin’ anywhere else.”

Ron helped him do just that, finding no exit wound on the other side.  “We need to get him back to the line.  Get him stable enough to move.”

As Roe got to work, Ron turned to find his men already rifling through the pockets of the fallen Germans, searching for intel and anything they could use - from cigarettes to aid kits.  “DiMarzio,” Ron ordered, grabbing the wolf’s attention.  “Get back and have a jeep waiting to take Webster.”

“Yes sir.”  DiMarzio was leaping through the air, landing on four paws as he took off into the fog.

“He’s as good as we’re goin’ to make ‘im, Alpha,” Roe spoke up, worry lacing his voice.  “It’s prolly good ‘e passed out.”

Ron could only spare a second to run his fingers through Roe’s hair in comfort.  “Put him on my shoulders,” he ordered gently.  With Roe’s help, Webster’s weight went across Ron’s shoulders, legs dangling on either side like a scarf.  Ron grabbed both sets of legs and stood.  “Come on.”

They made their way through the snow as quickly as possible.  When Ron stumbled, Roe was there to steady him, a deep frown on his face.  Ron didn’t have the heart to tell him that it was likely Webster wouldn’t make it.  It was there on the tip of his tongue - _“We’re already dead.”_ \- but somehow that had changed when he gained a pack of his own.  Ron would protect them, even if that meant lying to them.

Just as ordered, a jeep was waiting for them.  “You have plasma?” Roe demanded of the medic on board.  “I ain’t got any left and he needs it.”

“Yeah, give me a hand.”

Ron settled Webster on the stretcher, letting the pair work to put a line into the wolf’s front leg.  As soon as they finished, Ron tugged Roe back and barked, “Go!”

Roe struggled against his hold, though he sank against Ron as the jeep peeled away.  “I should be with him,” Roe argued weakly.

“The pack needs you more.  He’ll be in good hands.”  Ron dropped a kiss onto the top of Roe’s head.  “Let’s get you back.”

Seeming to remember why they had been out in the woods in the first place, Roe straightened.  “I gotta get medical supplies from the five-oh-first.  Anythin’ I can get.”

Ron nodded.  He looked around at the Dog boys he had with him, finding DiMarzio among them.  He may have only been a private, but the kid had proven to be very reliable.  “Jumbo,” he called the wolf forward, using his nickname, “take two of the boys with you and get what you can out of those assholes in the five-oh-first for medical supplies.”

“Yes sir.”

“An’ get scissors,” Roe added, ducking his face beneath the collar of his jacket when DiMarzio gave him a funny look.

“And scissors,” Ron repeated as a dismissal.  “The rest of you, with me.  We’re going back to Dog’s position.”

As they walked through the snow, now safely _behind_ the line of troopers so as not to have a repeat of earlier events, Ron kept Roe tucked against his side.  His Dog boys sent them the occasional glance but none of them said a word.

“They don’t call you Alpha,” Roe noted.  His usually sweet molasses scent had turned _burnt_.

“They’re not my pack,” Ron answered, squeezing Roe’s shoulder.

Even before he’d started courting Dick, Ron had never viewed the other wolves in Dog as pack.  The closest that came to it was probably DiMarzio after they spilled blood side-by-side in Normandy.  But by then, Easy had become his pack in all but mate-bite.

They left the Dog boys at their foxholes and continued on to Easy.  They heard low conversation from some of the men.  When they stepped through the trees, Ron noticed it was a small group of pack, some of them sleeping while others talked.

“Gene?!” Heffron cried, jumping up and rushing over to them.  “What happened?  Where are you hit?”

Roe looked confused until he noticed the drying blood all over his hands and on the front of his coat.  Ron could smell the blood on himself as well - he’d have to find a way to take care of that.

“I’m a’right, Heffron,” Roe assured.  Heffron only appeared more confused then, glancing over at Ron.

“Where’s Web?” Liebgott demanded, coming over.  Roe looked down at his blood-covered hands and Liebgott paled - if possible, thanks to the cold.  “Where’s Web?!” he demanded louder.

Ron stepped in to answer.  “He got hit.”  Liebgott tried to go past them but Ron grabbed his jacket, ignoring the young wolf’s growl.  “He’s already in Bastogne by now.”  He met Liebgott’s gaze.  “Webster’s gonna be alright.”

It was a long moment before Liebgott averted his gaze, muscles untensing.  Ron released him.  Liebgott looked as though he’d been struck, but when Ron reached out to comfort him, the other wolf pulled away.  He trudged back over to the rest of the pack, plopping down in the snow, ignoring the rumbles from his packmates.

Ron caught Carwood’s eye and frowned.

* * *

Most of the guys had managed to doze off, but they had started to stir when Roe and Ron showed up.  There was no point in ordering them back to sleep.  Instead, Carwood looked beseechingly at their Beta.  “Tab, take them back to the line?  Send Guarnere’s group back.”

“Yes, Alpha,” he murmured, rousing the others.

“Not you,” he told Liebgott as he tried to stand.  Carwood looked to Roe.  “Come on, Doc.  You need to eat and get some rest.”

“Can’t,” Roe muttered.

“Try.  For me.”  Roe shambled over, Babe watching after him in obvious conflict.  “Babe,” Carwood said, tipping his head towards the others starting back.  Babe nodded, stealing one last look at Roe before going.

Carwood walked up to Ron, frowning.  “What happened?”

“They got off the trail.  German patrol found them.  Webster was hit.  Was dumb luck we were out on patrol, or…”

Carwood’s frown deepened.  “This is my fault.  I should have never-”

Ron grabbed his shoulders harshly, giving him a shake.  “Don’t you dare blame yourself.  You can’t control what happens here.  None of us can.”  Ron’s expression and grip gentled.  “If it hadn’t been Webster, then it would have been another wolf.”

Carwood knew what Ron said to be true.  They were likely to face death over and over again in these cused woods.  Carwood would just have to do his best to see that as many of the pack made it out as possible.

Ron leaned in, stealing a kiss.  “I have to get back.”

Carwood nodded.

Ron took his chin, forcing their eyes to meet.  “I love you.”

Carwood’s lips twitched up briefly.  “I love you too.”

The kiss that time was slower, deeper.  He knew they couldn’t linger but it still hurt to part.

“I’ll let Dick know what happened,” Ron offered before disappearing into the woods like a ghost.

Carwood sighed, turning back to the small pit with its dwindling fire.  Roe was sat inside the circle, arms wrapped around himself as he stared into the flame.  Liebgott watched the fire as well, murder in his eyes.

Toye, Luz, and the other group of pack were making their way through the trees.  Knowing Roe would be safe with them, Carwood called out, “Joe,” drawing the wolf’s attention.  “Come with me.”

Liebgott half-heartedly rose, trudging after Carwood into the woods.  “Where are we going?” Liebgott asked after a moment.

“I just want some privacy.”  Carwood spotted a downed tree and straddled it, motioning for Liebgott to do the same.  “Talk to me, Lieb,” he encouraged.

“‘Bout what?” was the stubborn reply.

Carwood shoved him roughly, growling.  “Don’t pull your shit with me.”

Liebgott’s eyes widened.

“Talk.”

Liebgott licked his lips, eyes falling in submission.  “Web…  I know Alpha Speirs said he was alright, but-”

“He wouldn’t lie about that.”

“I know.  But Web got hurt and maybe he won’t come back.  And maybe that’s a good thing.  He shouldn’t be in… in _this_.  He should be home, reading his damn books and going to school.”

Carwood sighed.  “What’d you get him for a gift?”

Liebgott’s head snapped up, eyes widened once more.  “How did you-?”  Liebgott shook his head.  “Doesn’t matter.  He would never let me court him.  Dunno why I got these in the first place.”

Reaching into an inside jacket pocket, Liebgott pulled out a small box and passed it over.  Inside, Carwood found a fine pair of mother of pearl cufflinks.  “Joe, these are…”  Carwood’s lips twisted up.  “These are stunning.”

Liebgott chewed on his lip.  “You think so?”

“David will love them,” Carwood assured.  He closed the box, offering it back.  “You can give them to him when he gets back.”

Liebgott hesitated before taking the box, looking hopefully at Carwood.  “You make it sound easy.”

“Nothing worth having is ever easy.  If you love him, then you need to tell him.”

Liebgott leaned forward, nosing at Carwood’s shoulder before resting his head on it, nose in the curve of Carwood’s neck.  “I’m scared, Lip,” he admitted, voice quavering.  “If he dies-”  Liebgott choked on the words.  “I can’t lose him.”

Carwood squeezed him tightly.  “We’ll see him again, Joe.  I’m sure of it.”

They sat there for awhile longer, Liebgott clinging to him.  Carwood held him, fingers combing through his hair.

* * *

One by one, Gene was forced to watch as their pack was hit.  Some were lucky to be able to stay on the line, while others had no choice but to be rushed off to Bastogne.  Skinny would be alright, and once his leg was healed, Gene figured they’d see him again.  Smokey, well, he was a different story, but at least the human was alive.

The replacements didn’t really matter.  It was an awful thing to think but Gene wasn’t the only one thinking it.  Every time it was one of them instead of pack, they all breathed a little sigh.  It was harsh, but they were sitting in the middle of Hell, all alone with only survival on their minds.

Gene was observant.  He always had been.  But the army taught him to be even moreso.  From the fringes of the pack he watched as they all struggled not to break, as they clung to each other in a desperate attempt at staying sane.

Gene watched Liebgott snap and snarl at comforting hands before breaking and clinging to someone for dear life.  Mostly it was Alley, but it had been Lipton more than once, and Gene even caught Nixon petting fingers through Liebgott’s hair as he talked to him soothingly.  Gene wasn’t about to tell anyone about the time he found Liebgott snuggled between Guarnere and Toye, the wolves sharing their body heat as well as their solid presence.

Toye.  There was another one that was going to drive Gene slowly mad.  Losing his boots like that, Gene had wanted to cuff him upside the head so bad.  By the following morning, though, Toye had a new pair of boots, courtesy of Speirs.  Gene had given the Alpha a hug - much to Speirs’ surprise.  Even not being with them, Speirs was still watching out for them.

That wasn’t to say that somehow Winters and Nixon weren’t.  They had more of an opportunity to than Speirs, in fact.  Gene understood it was just as hard on them as it was on the pack, and he wasn’t blind to the fact that the pair spent a lot more time with them than any other company in the battalion.  Hell, it was no coincidence their holes were dug back between Easy and Dog’s lines.

Gene stuck close to Lipton most days, helping him take care of the men.  It was Lipton and Talbert that ran the day to day operations of Easy - seeing as how Dike was never around.  Talbert wasn’t exactly the mothering type though, so health and general morale tended to sit on Lipton and Gene.

Not that Gene would ever complain about sticking close to the only Alpha they had available to them.  All of their Alphas could brighten their days just a little bit, but Lipton was especially good at it.  Despite being human, the pack respected him just as they would any werewolf Alpha, and he had a way of knowing how to handle them.  Gene watched the way the pack lit up every time Lipton was around.

He was watching Lipton make his rounds when a barrage came in, sending everyone scrambling to their foxholes.  Everyone but Gene that was.  He shifted forms, grabbing up the strap of his bag, following the cries for a medic.

A shell landed close by and Gene shed away, slipping on a patch of ice that sent him skating along the ground with a startled yelp.  “Gene!”  Arms circled around his neck, tugging him safely into a foxhole.  Gene’s head craned back to look at Babe.  “Stay down!”

Gene wiggled, whining to be set loose.  Someone was yelling for him.

“I know,” Babe assured, flinching as another shell fell even closer.  “But if you get hit too then we’re all screwed.”

Gene hated that Babe sounded logical.  And in truth, Gene was more than content to stay there in Babe’s arms.  And more than a little relieved it wasn’t Babe who was the one yelling.

Even so, the second the shelling stopped, Gene leapt out of the hole, snatching his bag up and taking off at a sprint.  “Be careful!” Babe yelled after him, filling Gene’s chest with warmth.

Now wasn’t the time to be sentimental.  It sure as hell wasn’t the time for courting either.  But sure if God didn’t seem to have a sense of humor, making Gene fall in love at a time like this.  Stuck in the middle of these woods, his pack being blown to hell, and Gene couldn’t stop thinking of Babe.

His warm smile.  His silly laugh.  The way his eyes shown with fondness when he looked at Gene.  His affectionate touches with packmates that seemed to be just a bit more intimate with Gene.  The way Babe sought him out like others in the pack rarely did.  His scent, like honey and cinnamon…

“Medic!”

Gene slid into the foxhole where the yelling was coming from.  It was More, with a peppering of shrapnel along his side.

Gene shifted back as Martin asked, “Whaddaya need, Doc?”

“Help me get his jacket off.”

Martin worked More’s one arm out of his sleeve to expose his side better while Gene grabbed morphine and sulfa.  “Save the morphine,” More grit out, hissing when Gene’s hands were put on him.

“Doesn’t look like a lot made it through your jacket,” Gene reported, finding none of the wounds looked very deep either.  He poured sulfa on them to help stem the blood flow, but even that wasn’t anything overly worrisome.  “You’re gonna be fine.”

Perconte dropped to a knee beside the foxhole.  “We’ve got a jeep coming.”

Remembering when Perconte had helped him carry Skinny, Gene asked Martin to aid him this time around.

Once More was loaded up, Gene pat his shoulder.  “Hang in there,” he told his human packmate.  “We’ll see you soon, okay?”

More smirked, the look almost wolf-like.  “Can’t get rid of me that easy.”

As the jeep drove off, Martin huffed.  “Swear that kid’s a wolf.”

Gene smiled a moment but it faltered quickly.  Just another packmate gone.

He followed in Martin’s wake, back to the foxhole with blood splattered in it.  Martin sighed, kicking snow over the stains to cover them as best he could.  “Hear from Web?” the older wolf asked casually.

“Sorta.”  Gene stuffed his hands in his pockets - he couldn’t even remember who he’d given his gloves too.  “Alpha Winters got a report from the hospital.  He’s gonna pull through.  Bu’ it’ll take time.  Lucky he didn’t shatter his shoulder.”  It had gone into the muscle and out the side of the shoulder instead of going through like it seemed that day in the forest.

“That’s good.”  Martin paused, thinking.  “They’ll keep us updated, yeah?”

“Alpha Nixon ordered it for all the pack.”

“Good.”  Martin nodded, repeating a little more firmly, “Good.”

And that was that.  Martin went back to his foxhole and Gene went walking back down the line, checking on his pack as he went.

 _No one else_ , he begged silently in his own, lonely foxhole.   _Please no one else._


	4. Chapter 4

It was never that easy.  Gene had been asleep when the mortar strike came.  It was near the Easy CP which made him immediately alert.  His Alphas.  They were all at the CP spending Christmas Eve together!

A lithe red wolf came charging through the woods, barking at him.  Babe almost tripped over his own paws as he changed back in a hurry.  “The Alphas,” he blurted, sucking down air.

Gene had a moment of concern for Babe, who was still nursing a chest cold, but it was clear he was needed elsewhere.

Through the woods he ran, following the shouts.  He heard Winters calling his name and Gene’s chest constricted.  “Alpha!” he yelled, bursting through the trees.

Eyes quickly darted around the clearing, noting Nixon on the radio, Speirs snarling as he gazed out into the night, and his two remaining Alphas holding Harry down, aided by Peacock.  The blood on Harry’s leg shone in the moonlight and Gene could smell the remnants of a fire.  That explained the concentrated mortar burst from nowhere.

“A fire?” he groused as his knees hit the ground.  “Really?”

“We know, Doc,” Lipton replied before his attention went back to Harry, trying to calm him.  “Roe’s here,” he reassured Harry.  “Everything’s gonna be alright.”

Gene jammed morphine into Harry’s leg and the human sagged in relief almost immediately.  “Hold his leg up.”  It was Winters that followed his order.  Gene just went to work, tourniquiting Harry’s leg and cleaning up the wound as best he could to put sulfa on it.  “You’re gonna be fine,” he echoed Lipton, rubbing Harry’s stomach as though he were one of the pups.

“Jeep’s here,” Nixon informed, while Speirs encouraged, “Let’s get him up.”

Winters squeezed Gene’s shoulder.  “Ride in with him?”

Gene frowned, brows lowered.  “I can’t leave the pack, Alpha.”

Winters’ lips ticked up at the corners.  “Spina has us covered.  I want you to get a hot meal.”  Gene could see right through his Alpha.  Winters was worried about how he was holding up.  They were all dealing with death, but Gene was doing it in intimate way, every single day.

“I’m fine, Alpha,” he assured, nose going under Winters’ jaw in a bid for him to let it go.  “I just want to sleep.”

“Alright,” Winters agreed, nuzzling him a moment.  “Thank you for being here, Eugene.”

Gene would deny he preened under the affections of his Alpha, but then no one would blame him.  He bid them all goodnight, with a warning about further fires, before heading back to the line.

He hadn’t lied when he said he wanted to sleep, but he wanted to check on Babe first.  Gene found him in his foxhole and slid down beside him.  “Everything okay?” he asked, looking out into the darkness.  When Babe didn’t answered, he looked over at him.  “Babe?”

“Yeah.”

As soon as Babe’s hand moved up towards his nose, Gene spotted the blood.  He snagged Babe’s wrist, demanding, “How’d you do that?”

Babe ducked his head.  “Must have cut it on some ice when I was running to get you.”

Gene clucked his tongue, shaking his head fondly.  “I’ll fix it up,” he assured.

As he dug around in his bag - now full thanks to the drops they’d finally managed to get - Babe let out a little laugh.  “Hey, Gene, you called me Babe.”

“I did?”

He looked over, breath catching at Babe’s bright smile.  Gene’s fingers brushed across cloth and he pulled blindly.  When he looked, Gene froze, finding a blue headscarf in his hand rather than the bandage he expected.

It was too late to hide it.  He practically felt Babe’s curiosity spiking.  Sure enough, the other wolf asked, “Wha’s that?”

Gene bit his lip.  “It’s, uh…”

_“I should get him a scarf like that,” Gene mentioned to Renee.  They sat in one of the rare quiet moments in Bastogne.  With how often Gene found himself there, they had become something of friends, and Gene had felt safe confessing his desire of courting Babe to her._

_“Oh?”  The pretty wolf touched her hand to the dirty scarf on her head.  “Why?”_

_“One of our Alphas, he got courted that way.  Scent put on it so everyone who got near him knew who he was with.”  The way Winters would tuck his nose to the scarf - even now - was endearing._

_Renee smiled at him.  “Here.”  She pulled a relatively clean one from her pocket.  “I just washed it.”_

_“I couldn’t.”_

_She shoved it into his hands all the same.  “Find your happiness, Eugene.  We all deserve it while we can still have it.”_

Gene’s hands curled around the scarf.  He had decided to wait a few days, had worn it on the inside of his jacket to put his scent into it.  When he had thought to give it to Babe though, he had panicked and shoved it into his bag.

“Gene?”  Babe sounded concerned.

“It’s for you,” Gene admitted softly.

“What?”

He looked over at Babe, holding it out.  “It’s yours.  If you want it.”

Babe lowered his brows in confusion, looking from Gene to the scarf.  “I don’t-”  It must have clicked when he touched the scarf because he froze.  “Gene?”

“I’m doin’ this all wrong,” Gene lamented.  “But…”

Babe took the scarf, bringing it to his nose.  He inhaled, a smile coming to his face as he shut his eyes.  Gene swallowed at the sight, his stomach turning into a mess of knots.

“It’s perfect, Gene,” Babe finally said.  “Thank you.”  Babe looked over, eyes shining as he smiled happily.  “Thought about getting you somethin’ when we went to Paris.”

“Oh.”  Gene’s eyes widened in surprise.  So, Babe had been thinking to court him too?  “I had no idea.”

Babe’s smile turned shy, hiding it behind the scarf.  “That was the idea.  I thought for sure you wouldn’t…  Well, I’m not exactly…  And you’re so-”

“Babe.”  Gene rumbled when Babe met his gaze.  He smiled softly at the way it caused Babe to melt.  “You’re perfect.”  Babe turned beat red behind the scarf.  Deciding to spare him, Gene said, “Now, how about we fix that hand up.”

Babe sat quietly as Gene worked, nose stuck in the scarf and smiling like an idiot.  To be fair, Gene had that same smile.  When Babe let him sling an arm around his shoulders, pulling Babe against his side, Gene felt positively over-the-moon.

“Hey, Gene,” he mentioned after a bit.

“Yeah?”

“You called me Babe again.”

His lips curled up.  “Yeah, I guess I did.”

“ _Babe_ ,” he mimicked, dropping his voice into a lower octave.  Babe chuckled when Gene pinched his side.

“Edward,” Gene said in fond exasperation, “watch the Goddamn line.”

* * *

The siege had been broken but Easy Company was far from being done.  Reinvigorated by sleep and fresh supplies - and perhaps a little bitterness at being told they had been “rescued” when they needed no such thing - Easy was sent to clear the woods leading to Foy.  Joe knew it was likely that it would be Easy going into Foy as well.

“Lieb.”  Bill came over to pace him as they started out into the woods.  “Keep an eye on the pack, alright?  Don’t worry about the replacements.”

Joe raised a brow.  “Pretty sure that’s not what the Alphas said.”

“Well most the Alphas ain’t here, are they?”

Joe wasn’t exactly going to argue.  He respected Winters immensely, Lipton and Nix too.  He had even come to like Speirs - rumors and all.  Still, they weren’t around like they used to be, and Lipton could only be in one place at a time.

“‘Sides,” Bill continued, “ya know they take care a the pack before anyone else.  They jus’ can’t outright say it, bein’ in charge of a whole battalion now.”

“They always take care of Easy first,” Joe agreed.

“See?  Ain’t no accident.”  Bill reached out and grabbed his forearm, giving it a squeeze.  “Jus’ keep the pack in sight’s all I’m sayin’.”

Joe looked at the fingers curled around his arm.  He could still remember when he and Bill had been at each other’s throats - literally - two hotheads more interested in scrapping for dominance than forming pack bonds.  It seemed like such a long time ago now.

Leaning in, Joe scrubbed their cheeks together quickly.  “You too.”

Bill nodded, moving on down the line to talk with Bull, presumably about the same thing.  Although Bill would have to be more careful with his words - Bull had a thing for picking up strays.

As they continued their march, down the line came under some light fire but it wasn’t anything to raise a nose at.  Joe was almost wondering if they were going to see any action when he caught sight of the first shadow through the trees.

He froze.  There it was again.  “Wolves!” he yelled.  “We’ve got wolves!”

Dropping his rifle, Joe surged forward, shifting in mid-air as easily as breathing.  He wasn’t the only one either, the rest of the wolves shifting to attack, Lipton’s yells of “Check your fire!” following after them.

Sure enough, a whole pack of werewolves seemed to melt from the light fog and shadows.  This must have been the enemy unit that Fox Company had seen all that time ago.

Joe zeroed in on his first target, meeting him head on with a vicious snap of jaws.  Around them were sounds of bodies hitting, flesh ripping, howls and snarls.  Blood filled Joe’s mouth and he shook the wolf in his jaws, teeth going deeper.

There were a few rifle shots coming from the rear, likely only members of their pack, who knew their wolf forms - or at least Joe hoped so.  Getting taken out by a replacement wasn’t how he wanted to go.

Joe tossed his prey aside when another wolf charged him.  It appeared they might have been outnumbered.  Lowering his weight, Joe met the charge with his shoulder, going down to let the wolf fly right over him.  He couldn’t spin around to attack his dazed target though, because another wolf was already in his face.

A blur of cream-colored fur flew by, slamming the wolf to the ground.  Hoobler.

Joe spun, pouncing on his original attacker instead.  He couldn’t get a hold quick enough, the wolf ripping from his grasp and leaving him with a mouth full of fur.  Growling, Joe gave chase.  He slid across the snow when he got close enough, grabbing a leg and chomping down.  The wolf wasn’t going anywhere fast with a broken leg.

That was when he heard it.  The heart-stopping yelp.  Joe looked back to find a wolf on top of Hoobler, blood spraying onto the snow.

His vision narrowed.  Hearing, scent, they all dropped away.  Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion.  A red wolf - Babe - grabbed at their enemy’s ruff.  Too small to move the hulking wolf on his own, Joe added his own jaws to the mix and they levered the wolf off of Hoobler, slamming him to the ground.  Another set of teeth flashed, sinking into the wolf’s throat - Bull.

Joe’s head whipped around as Roe flew past, the world falling back into place.

“Hoobler!” Roe yelled, kneeling on the ground in the wolf’s blood.  “Hold still!”

Joe shifted back to human form, going to Hoobler’s other side to help hold him still, fingers in the wolf’s ruff.  “Easy, Hoob,” he encouraged.

Hoobler let out the most pathetic, high-pitched whine, flailing against their hold.

Roe was trying his best to stem the flow of blood coming from Hoobler’s neck.  “Grab the morphine from my bag,” Roe ordered.  “It’ll help him calm down.”

Around them the skirmish continued.  Bull, Guarnere, Toye, the largest wolves among them had gathered to form a protective barrier between them and the remaining enemy.  Though it seemed their pack had closed the gap in numbers quite readily.

A shot of morphine did indeed calm Hoobler, but it was perhaps a little too late.  “I can’t clamp the damn artery,” Roe hissed, fingers slipping in all the blood.

Hoobler started to shake, his breath coming out in rasps.  “No, no, no,” Joe pulled at his ruff, “stay with us, Hoob!  Stay with us!”

Hoobler’s eyes rolled back in his head.  Then he went still.

“Doc,” Joe breathed, frozen in disbelief.  Roe was still trying to clamp down on the wound.  “ _Doc_.”  Roe stopped then, looking at Hoobler’s face.

Joe’s emotions swayed between grief, vicious anger, and back again.  The enemy was already being routed, the final few wolves being dealt with swiftly.  There was no one to lash out against.

Joe threw his head back and howled - in grief, in pain, in righteous fury, it didn’t really matter.  Roe’s voice joined his, and soon the rest of the pack.  Joe sobbed, cutting off his howl, and he collapsed down on top of Hoobler’s still form.

This couldn’t be happening.

* * *

Ron didn’t like watching Easy go off into the woods again.

They’d come back to the battalion a few men down and carrying a pack member with them.  Hoobler had been a rather independent wolf, not one to look for affection from the ranking pack, but he was loyal and always pushing the others to get through.  Ron had barely known him, but he knew Hoobler would be gravely missed.

Despite that, their orders were to get a hot meal and a half a day to rest before they were to go back out there to set up their observation of Foy.  No, Ron didn’t like it one bit.  He had half a mind to abandon Dog Company and follow in their wake, but then Carwood had left behind some of the men - some of the _pack_ , even if they were human - and Ron knew the score.

“The stories about Speirs are probably all bullshit anyway.”

Ron’s ears perked up as he slipped silently through the trees.  He could hear an unfamiliar voice asking questions curiously, while two familiar ones repeated - and embellished - equally familiar stories.  They were half-truths, but served their purpose.

Ron could have smirked at the reaction he got when they all spotted him standing in front of the foxhole in wolf form.  The new kid practically jumped out of his skin, while Perconte attempted to look innocent.  At least Christenson didn’t bother to hide his amusement after the initial startle.

Ron shifted seamlessly back to human form, resting one knee in the snow.  “Christenson, Perconte,” he greeted with a nod.

“Alpha,” they replied in turn.  That only made the replacement even more confused.

“Who’s this?”

“Webb,” Perconte answered.

Ron couldn’t help the scowl.  They already had a Web.

Putting the kid on ignore, Ron looked between his human pack.  “Got everything you need?”

“Yes sir,” Perconte assured, going back to brushing his teeth.

Ron looked at Christenson, noting how he bit his lip.  “What is it?”

“Well, it’s just…”  Christenson huffed.  “We wanted to be with the pack.”

Ron sighed, looking off to where the men in question had disappeared not ten minutes before.  “You and me both.”  He looked back at Christenson.  “But we’re needed here.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

Ron leaned in, scruffing the back of Christenson’s neck like he would one of the wolves.  “Between you and me, I think Carwood did this on purpose so I wouldn’t run off.”

Christenson’s lips quirked.  “I wouldn’t doubt it.”

Ron gave him a half smile and a little shake.  “Now, while you’re here, why don’t you reinforce your cover a bit.”

It was Perconte that supplied, “Dike said not to bother since they’ll only be out there a day.”

“He did, did he?” Ron asked with a raised brow.  Perconte went back to brushing his teeth and Christenson chuckled.  “Reinforce it, Perco,” he insisted, using the man’s nickname he’d heard thrown around.

As he stood, Ron took out a cigarette, sticking it in the corner of his mouth.  He looked down at Webb and held out the pack.  “Smoke?”

Webb shook his head so fast, his helmet rattled.


	5. Chapter 5

Gene heard the yell for a medic as soon as the shelling died down.  His prayers that it wasn’t pack went unanswered.  Two large, dark brown wolves laid in the snow, shredded by shrapnel, and staining the ground around them.

Guarnere picked his head up, whining.  Toye was out cold.  “Hang in there, Bill, okay?”  The wolf put his ears back, whimpering again, but he set his head back down.

Malarkey came through the trees, cursing softly.  “Doc, what can I do?” he asked, getting to his knees.

“Hold this,” he ordered, bandages pressed to a large laceration on Toye’s flank.  It looked to be the only thing bleeding heavily, but Gene needed to be certain.

Practiced hands moved automatically, flying over wounds big and small to suss out anything that could quickly steal another packmate from them.   _I won’t lose another one,_ Gene growled to himself.

“I’m scared to pull most of this out,” he spoke aloud, putting sulfa over everything.  Toye was littered with shrapnel all along his right side.  Removing the pieces could cause heavy bleeding and Gene didn’t have the tools or ability to save Toye should that happen.

He checked the wound he had Malarkey holding, Gene was satisfied the bleeding was slowing.  He added more sulfa to it before wrapping it properly.  “At least this looks like it’s the worst of it.”  To Malarkey he said, “Try rubbing his face and ears.  See if you can wake him.”  Gene couldn’t give him any morphine when he was passed out like that.

As he moved to Guarnere, Lipton came through the trees.  “Help’s on the way, Doc,” he assured.  “What can I do?”

Gene glanced over at Buck, sitting in shock on a downed tree.  “Might wanna check on him.”

Guarnere whined, trying to look over at Toye again.  “Easy,” Gene scolded gently, pushing his head back down.  “Don’t go movin’ and hurtin’ yourself worse.”

It looked as though Guarnere hadn’t gotten it nearly as bad as Toye.  The shrapnel seemed to be concentrated on his flank and a good sized gash across his ribs.  Sulfa went down on that and Gene yanked out a couple pieces of metal before other medics arrived with stretchers.

Luz had appeared at some point, staring at the scene in quiet horror.  Gene snapped him out of it by demanding, “Radio ahead and make sure they’re ready to receive two wolves with shrapnel injuries.  One critical.”

“You got it,” Luz assured, quickly setting to work.

As they picked Guarnere up on his stretcher, he whined, pawing the air towards Gene.  Gene’s brows lowered together, biting back a whimper of his own.  He leaned in, nuzzling against Guarnere’s muzzle.  “See you soon, Bill.”

His reply was a lick on the nose.

Gene watched dejectedly as the pair were taken away.  Blood stained his hands, and Gene cursed the fact it once again belonged to his pack.

* * *

The CP they had since the siege had been broken was much better.  They still had a deep foxhole dug, but now they had a tarp draped over what was left of a small stone structure.  The partially left walls helped block the wind and snow, and they had a proper fire for a little added heat and to cook on.

Nix was satisfied with their current abode, though he certainly longed to get back indoors.  It would be nice to have all his mates with him too.  The last time they’d spent any sort of time together was Christmas Eve.  And, well, that had been a minor disaster with Harry being hit.

He was sitting at the fire, brewing a pot of coffee when he heard someone at what passed for the doorway.  “Carwood,” he greeted with a smile, expression falling when he saw the cigarette in his mouth.  “Since when do you smoke?”

“Since that dud landed right next to the foxhole Luz and I were in.”

Nix hummed, looking away.  He didn’t want to think about that.

It was already bad enough that they had lost Hoobler.  Then Guarnere and Toye had been hit - thankfully at least alive, and in the same hospital as Web to boot.  But to lose Muck and Penkala on top of it, to have Buck finally drop off the deep end, and almost losing one of his mates, well, it was becoming too much.

“I’m not going to lecture you,” Nix commented in amusement, trying to lighten the mood.  “I’m not one to talk.”  He smirked, shaking his flask before adding a little whiskey to his coffee.  “Care for a drink?”

Carwood shook his head, but there was a smile playing on his lips.  He sat beside Nix on the crates they’d set up, shoulders pressed together.  They passed the cigarette between them in silence.

“Where’s Dick?” Carwood inquired.

Nix noted the little shiver and forced a cup of coffee into Carwood’s hands, sans whiskey.  “Talking to Sink about tomorrow.”

Carwood gave a non-committal grunt.

“Yeah, we’re just as thrilled,” Nix said blandly.

“I’m worried, Lew.”

He must have been; Carwood rarely called him _Lew_.  “We’ll figure it out, sweetheart,” Nix assured, wrapping an arm around Carwood’s waist.  He rubbed his nose at Carwood’s cheek, feeling the little smile it caused.

They may not have been wolves, but being mated to two and being adopted by a whole pack, it had rubbed off on them long ago.

They heard the crunch of snow just before Dick walked in.  The pinched features on Dick’s face softened when he looked upon them.  Noting the pot, he said, “Please tell me that’s coffee.”

Dick shook his coat off at the entrance, coming to sit on one of the crates.  He accepted the cup of coffee with a grateful sigh.  “Thanks, Nix.”  He blew on the cup before taking a small sip.  The stuff wasn’t the greatest, but it was better than nothing.  Even so, Dick cringed a little at the strength.

“Everything ready for tomorrow?” Nix asked.

Dick cocked his head.  “On command’s end.”  He looked over at Carwood.  “What’s Easy’s status?”

“Good, considering.  They’re ready to go.”

Dick nodded.

“I’m going to lead second platoon what with…  Well, they could use me there.”

Nix gave Carwood another squeeze.

“Dick…”  Carwood hesitated but he decided to say his piece.  “Dike’s an empty uniform.  He’s going to get a lot of us killed.”

Dick’s jaw ticked.  “I have confidence in the pack to-”

“That’s part of the issue.  Our pack is falling apart.  Most of us are dead or in a hospital.  And I don’t want to see any more of us join them.”

The declaration hung in the air.

Nix licked his lips.  It was true enough, and it was something they were all thinking - even Dick, though he refused to admit it aloud.  Nix wasn’t stupid; he knew what Dick and Ron were trying to do, but clearly it hadn’t worked given Dike’s continued presence.

“Buck was our last chance,” Carwood finally continued.  “He was our last option to replacing Dike after Harry was hit.  Now there’s no one.”

“You have power, Carwood,” Dick reminded softly.  “You’re an _Alpha_.  Don’t forget that.”

They both caught the hint that Dick was giving.  Even as humans, even with Carwood being an NCO, they held sway over Easy Company, in what they did and how they functioned.  If Carwood needed to, he could seize command from Dike in an instant with no repercussions.

Someone cleared their throat, and Nix wasn’t all that surprised to find that Ron had managed to appear without making a sound.  “You sent for me, captain?” he inquired with a raised brow.

Dick smirked and waved him in.  “I thought we could spend some time together.”

Ron smiled softly, sitting on the crate next to Dick.  As Nix watched them gazing at each other, he wondered why the pair even bothered with a couple humans like them.  Then those smiles turned to them, Ron and Dick’s faces lit up as though Nix and Carwood hung the full moon in the sky for them, and Nix smiled.

He loved those two mutts, and Carwood too.  So what if their mating was unconventional?  Nix wouldn’t trade these three men for anything - not even a full crate of Vat 69.

* * *

“Hold up!”

“Keep moving!”

“Hold up!”

“ _Keep moving!_ ”  Carwood added enough growl to his voice to continue pushing the pack forward.  Foley and Shames both hesitated - they were human after all, and not considered pack - but they didn’t have much of a choice when pack members in both their platoons continued to push ahead on either side of second.

“Sergeant Lipton!”  Before he could react, Dike grabbed his arm, half throwing, half shoving him behind a large hay bale.  “I’m in command of this company!  Not you!”

“I’m an _Alpha_ of this company!” Carwood barked in turn.  He had had enough of Dike, of his posturing, of his incompetence.  “If you put my pack in danger-”

“You’re pack?”  Dike laughed in his face.  “You’re not even a wolf.”  He twisted his hand into Carwood’s jacket.  “You don’t decide what happens to this company.  I do.  Now everyone hold!”  Dike looked over at Luz and ordered, “Get Foley on the radio.  Everyone hold!”

Carwood growled, looking at Luz.  “Don’t pass that order.  We’ll die if we stay here.  Alpha Winters ordered us to push,” he raised his voice above the chaos so the wolves could hear, “so we move!”

As he tried to stand, Dike reached up and grabbed him, yanking him back down to the ground.  “Now you listen to me you little shit…”

“Alley!” Luz yelled, the artillery falling around them drowning out his call for the nearest wolf.  “Alley!”

“This is _my_ company!  Not a bunch of _mangy dogs!”_  Dike’s hands wrapped around his neck, and Carwood saw red.

* * *

Dick saw red.  “Speirs!” he bellowed, ignoring the calls from Nix and Sink as he threw his weapon aside.  He leapt forward, the change taking him, and landed on four paws.  A streak of black was beside him, both with one goal in mind.

Dick shed to the side of an artillery blast while Ron leapt right through it, coming out of the smoke on the other side like a demon.  Luz’s only warning to move out of the way was a snarl.  Dike, however, didn’t see the attack coming.

Ron’s teeth sunk deep into flesh, cutting off any scream from Dike before it could happen.  Ron slammed the human to the ground, ripping his throat in the process.  Dick was there then, shifting as he slammed into Carwood, pressing him to the haystack as more artillery fell.

“Don’t look,” he urged Carwood, the wolf in his voice.  “Ron!”  He could hear his mate ripping into Dike, though the man was already dead.  He turned to look, Ron’s muzzle covered in blood, eyes sharp.  “Lead them.”

Ron nodded, shifting to be able to give orders.  He looked to Carwood for a status update.  “What have we got?”

Carwood was rubbing at his throat and his voice cracked as he asked, “Luz?”

Luz had his ear to the radio, coordinating with the other platoons.  “First and Third’s advance stopped when we did.  First’s pinned down by a sniper.  Building with the caved in roof.”

While Ron peered around their cover to get his plan in order, Dick checked Carwood over.  “You’re okay?”

“Fine.”  Carwood gave him a brief half smile.

Dick nodded in acceptance.  There would be time to talk later.

“Sergeant Alley!” Ron called.  “I want mortars and grenade launchers on that house ‘til it’s gone!”

“Yes, Alpha!”

To Luz, Ron said, “When it’s gone, tell First to continue in.  Everyone else, follow me.”

Ron grinned over at Dick, patting his shoulder as he passed.  “Shall we?” Ron mused.  He shifted back into his wolf form - being without any other weapon - and charged out into the open.

Carwood shook his head in clear amusement.  To Dick he assured, “See you soon,” before he and Luz ran out after him.  “Everyone on the Alpha!”

Dick watched them for a bit, assured that they were moving swiftly into the town proper and out of the kill zone he was currently squatting in.  Satisfied that Ron could handle it, that his pack could handle it, Dick shifted and hurried back to the safety of the trees.

He never bothered to look at the corpse of Lieutenant Dike.  And the look he gave to Sink dared the human to say a damn word about it.  Nix’s hand in his ruff was grounding.

There was nothing left to do but wait.

* * *

Ron sank gratefully to his knees in the mess of blankets on the floor.  Dick and Nix were already on their makeshift bed.  “Where’s Carwood?” Dick asked as Ron wiggled between the pair.

“Putting all the naughty pups to bed.”

Ron had thought to make the rounds with him but then decided it was probably best to let Carwood do it on his own.  The pack was used to functioning with just Carwood around.  They would have to get used to Ron being in command, but then with the way that they treated him already, he wasn’t concerned.  Let them have some time with their pack mom.

Ron nuzzled against Dick’s neck, smiling at the scarf there.  He turned to do the same to Nix.  Their scent was a comforting balm - mint and an open meadow from one, dark chocolate and whiskey from the other.  He had missed it so much while freezing his ass off in Bastogne.

He knew that Dick tried his best to keep them together.  And Ron could see the fatigue setting in with every rigid line of Dick’s body.  “We’re here, mate,” Ron assured softly, licking Dick’s chin.  When Dick smiled softly, Ron considered it a win.

What they’d been through in Bastogne was hard enough without having to deal with officially placing Ron in charge of Easy and get him cleared of any wrongdoing in Dike’s death.  The latter was perhaps easier.  After all, the military regulations regarding wolves - and even the laws in civilian life - were very clear on the matter.  Not only had Dike threatened Ron’s mate, he had threatened an _Alpha-Mate_.  Any of the pack would have been well within their rights to kill Dike on the spot.

“I vote for Paris when we get back,” Nix commented, hands starting to wander as they so often did.

“Oh, do you?”  Dick was amused.

“Well, we had so much fun the last time.”

The door opened and Carwood smiled when he saw them.  “Now that’s a nice sight.”

“Lock the door,” Nix replied with a smirk.

Ron shook his head, glancing over at Dick.  His fellow wolf was smiling back.  They had their mates safe and sound, and most of their pack as well.  Ron squeezed his hand, looking up at Carwood as he knelt down behind Dick, Carwood’s own fresh linen and citrus scent washing over them.

“It’ll be good to have a break,” Dick commented with a pleased rumble when Carwood pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“Yeah,” Ron agreed softly, eyes falling shut and head resting on Nix’s shoulder.  The scent of his mates surrounded him, and Ron was content to stay there indefinitely.  Who needed Paris?

* * *

Chuck rolled his eyes at Tab, grabbing the man’s sleeve and yanking him back down to the bench.  “Everyone is fine.  Sleep.”

“I’m just going to check the perimeter.”

“No.”  Chuck stared straight into Tab’s eyes.  “I get it.  You feel like you have to ‘cause that’s what you did all the time back in those damn woods.  But _we’re fine_.  Now rest.”

Tab grumbled but sunk against Chuck’s side.  “You’re right.”

“I know I am.”  Chuck grinned.

Tab pinched his side.  “Alright, smartass.”

Chuck put his arm around Tab, pulling him even closer.  As Tab settled, Chuck looked further down their pew to where Liebgott sat.  His gaze was far away, leaning forward with his head pillowed on his arms.  Chuck frowned - none of the pack should have been alone.

“Joe,” he called softly so as not to disturb the others trying to sleep.

The wolf jumped a little, looking over at him.

“Come on,” Chuck encouraged, jerking his head to the side.

Getting the hint, Liebgott slide down the bench, pressing up to Tab’s side.  Chuck offered him a gentle smile, fingers going through the hair at the back of Liebgott’s neck.  Tab offered up his hand without raising his head, giving Liebgott’s hand a squeeze when their fingers thread together.

Chuck rest his cheek on top of Tab’s head, eyes falling shut at Tab’s vanilla scent coming through all the grime.  They were surrounded by pack - as splintered as they were now - and Chuck had the wolf he wanted to be his mate at his side.  Contentment filled him, drifting down into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

“Gene?”  When the medic didn’t respond, Babe grabbed his arm and tugged him away from where he was pestering Christenson.  “ _Gene_.  Enough, alrigh’?  Everyone’s fine.  You nee’ to rest.”

Gene sighed but agreed - not without a parting threat to Christenson about his minor cough.

“Sit,” Babe ordered, pushing Gene into a vacant pew.  “Spend so much time takin’ care a everybody else that you don’ bother with yourself.”  He took a knee in front of Gene, working his boots loose.

“Babe,” Gene said softly.

“I mean, what’re we supposed to do if you go runnin’ yourself ragged?”  He slipped off one of Gene’s boots.

“Babe.”

“Pack needs you.   _I_ need you.”  The other boot came off.

“Edward.”  Babe looked up to find Gene smiling softly at him.  He cupped Babe’s cheek before leaning in to press a gentle kiss to his lips.  “Thank you,” he murmured as he pulled away, voice a little deeper.

Babe grinned from ear to ear.  “Come on,” he encouraged, sitting on the pew.  He tugged at Gene’s arm, encouraging him to lay down, his head in Babe’s lap.  Babe pushed his fingers through Gene’s hair.  “Get some sleep.”

Gene was smiling as he shut his eyes.  “You too, _mon cher._ ”

Babe dropped a kiss to Gene’s forehead before sitting back to continue carding his fingers through Gene’s hair.  His eyes caught on the bright blue scarf wrapped around his wrist - laced with Gene’s oakmoss and molasses scent - and Babe smiled.


	6. Chapter 6

The hospital was horrible.  It didn’t smell of pack.  Until the day it did.

It was shortly after he was able to shift back into his human form that David smelled them - Guarnere and Toye.  There were letters waiting for him from Nix, letting him know about some of the human pack that had been hit, but none of them were at this hospital.  Given that this was one of the few hospitals equipped to handle wolves nearby, David wasn’t all that surprised to see the pair.

David fluttered his eyes at one of the nurses to get moved beside the pair.  Toye was being kept heavily sedated but Guarnere was more lucid.  Both were in their wolf forms.

David spent a lot of time sat between their beds, talking to them, petting them.  He would read the letters sent by Nix - his handwriting using his left hand was atrocious and he wasn’t up to using his right arm much, so he didn’t write back.  The letter that informed him of Hoobler’s death hit him hard and he cried into Guarnere’s shoulder while the older wolf nuzzled him - given the date, it had happened before Guarnere and Toye had been hit - and they all mourned Muck and Penkala when that news reached them.

Then there was a letter from Joe.

_“What?” Guarnere asked.  He was propped up in bed, having been able to shift back just a couple days previous._

_“Joe wrote me.”_

_“Yeah?”_

_Toye, who was now lucid and able to listen while David read to them, rolled over, flicking his ears forward to listen._

_To their disappointment, David didn’t read this particular letter aloud._

_The next day, he determined it would be his last in the hospital.  The pack was out of Bastogne and he was going to go find them.  David rested his upper body on Toye’s bed, fingers curled into the wolf’s ruff.  A hand ran down David’s back and he looked over his shoulder._

_“You sure?”_

_David’s lips twitched.  It was no surprise that Guarnere had guessed what he was up to.  “I’ll be alright.  I need to get back.”_

_Guarnere smirked.  “Yeah, you an’ me both.”_

_“Don’t even think about it,” David replied, eyes narrowed._

_Guarnere smirked.  “I ain’t goin’ no where.  At least just yet.”  He turned serious then.  “Just be careful, yeah?”_

_After lights-out, David grabbed his bag.  He pet Toye, who barely stirred, and went to Guarnere.  They whispered a few parting words, nuzzling their heads together.  David almost stayed, not wanting to leave them behind, but the pack…  He needed to get back to the pack._

It took some doing - and some careful flirting - to get to Hagenau.  He arrived in a town decimated by war on an overcast day that seemed to fit the mood of the soldiers leaving and the troopers arriving.

David adjusted the bag on his left shoulder, wincing at the pull of his right in the cold.  He had healed well but he really should have stayed awhile longer.  It was too late to turn back now.

He walked by a few trucks, noting there were some Easy men unloading things, but no one from the pack.  Then he saw them.

All the wolves were gathering in front of one of the houses.  Talbert was standing in front, saying something about reassigning people.  Then _they_ spotted _him_.

“Web?!” Grant exclaimed, all eyes on him.

“David!”  Liebgott was across the space in an instant, wrapping him into a bone-crushing embrace.  “What are you doing here?”

David couldn’t even answer.  His nose was filled with woodsmoke and warm spice, and he sank against Joe.

The rest of the pack was around him, happy yips greeting him.  They pressed in around him, the scent of home - of _pack_ \- surrounding him.  He almost felt like crying out of happiness.  David smiled, nose going into the crook of Joe’s neck.

“Come on,” Talbert encouraged.  “Let’s move this into the CP.”

David found himself passed around for rough hugs and insistent scenting.  “How’re Bill an’ Joe?” Babe asked, while at his other side, Gene inquired, “How’s yer shoulder?”

“They’re better.  Arm’s fine.”

Gene didn’t look like he bought it, but Bull was pulling David away.  Even Martin gave him a nuzzle.

When they entered the CP, Lipton was sitting on the couch, Luz tucking him in with a blanket.  “Alpha!” David chirped happily, tossing his bag aside into the pile that was forming at the door.

Lipton looked up, stunned, but then he grinned.  “Web!”  David crashed into him, giving him just as big a hug as he gave Joe.  “How’d you get here?”

“I may have escaped,” David admitted as he straightened.

Alley swept David off his feet, spinning him around.  “I taught you well, pup.”

“Yeah, yeah,” David laughed, “put me down.”

“Think sneaking out of hospitals is an Easy Pack specialty,” Malarkey mused.

David frowned when he took a better look at Lipton.  “How long have you been sick?”

Lipton waved him off.  “I’ll be fine.  Got the best caretakers anyone could ask for.”  Gene sat beside the couch, smiling a bit when Lipton ran his fingers through his hair.  Luz was grinning widely from where he hung over the couch.

“Welcome back, Web,” Luz said.  From the reports Nix had been sending, it seemed Luz was one of the few human pack they had around.  The rest were either dead or laid up in a hospital somewhere or other.

“Spread out guys,” Talbert encouraged, crashing onto the only other intact couch in the room.  He reached up to Grant, snagging his wrist and tugging him down into his lap.

David smiled.  He leaned over to the closest wolf, which happened to still be Alley, and commented, “Looks like things are still going well.”

“They’re talkin’ about makin’ it official when the war’s over.”

For some reason, David sought out Joe within the group as they settled down in various spots of the floor.  Joe was sat at the end of the couch holding their Beta, leaning back against it, and David approached slowly.  “Mind if I…?”

Joe offered him a half smile, patting the spot next to him.  David didn’t bother being shy.  He had missed the pack, but he’d missed Joe especially.  He snuggled right into Joe’s side, snuffling at his neck.  Joe sank against him with a sigh.  “I’m glad you’re back.”

Malarkey was sprawled out in the middle of the floor and looked upside-down at Talbert.  “So what’s this meeting about anyway?”

“Like I was saying outside, Alpha Speirs wanted to see all of us.  He mentioned something about shuffling personnel, but…”

Martin sighed from his place on the piano bench.  “Probably need us to cover for all the replacements coming in.”

“That fresh batch got delayed,” Lipton mentioned, looking through some paperwork.

“Well, thank goodness for small favors,” Martin muttered.  Bull chuckled, grinning around his cigar when Martin shot him a look.

Alley was crawling over top of Malarkey before flopping down across him.  Not that Malarkey cared one bit.  Instead it was Alley who complained.  “Why we gotta take  _more_ of those little shit birds on?  They’re only gonna get killed anyway.”

“Think of it this way,” Malarkey remarked, “more cannon fodder.”

“Jeez, Mal,” Bull remarked, “with friends like you…”

Everyone had a good laugh, though David was too busy watching the way Gene and Babe were snuggling together by Lipton’s couch.  “That’s new,” he mentioned softly.

Joe followed his gaze.  “Yeah, they’re courting now.”

David’s face lit up, attention turned to Joe.  “Really?”

Joe, however, looked stunned.  David’s brows dropped in concern, though before he could ask, someone was stepping through the back door of the parlor and clearing their throat.  Low growls rumbled through the pack, staring the stranger down.

“Lieutenant Jones looking for Captain Speirs,” the human announced.

Joe scoffed, looking away.  Most of the other wolves quickly dismissed him as well.

Lipton was the diplomatic one, as always.  “He’s on his way, sir.  Why don’t you have a seat?”

David noted with some amusement that there was no place for the interloper to sit other than a crappy chair they’d all avoided, sat right in the thick of all the wolves.

“Just what we need,” Joe commented, a little louder than a whisper, “another green officer.”

Grant leaned over and swatted Joe on the head, who turned and growled.  Grant pushed himself up more to hover over Joe, growling right back.  “Don’t cause us problems.  We have enough already.”

Joe snorted but backed down, tilting his chin to flash his throat in apology.  Grant leaned in and licked the back of his jaw before going back to snuggling with Talbert.

David glanced back at Jones to find the man was openly gawking at the display.  It seemed everywhere he looked, the open affection of all the men draped over each other and snuggled, made Jones uncomfortable.  David grinned, looking back to Joe to see if he’d seen.  Sure enough, Joe was smirking right back.

“What are you doing out here?”  They all turned when Speirs entered the room.  He was glaring at Lipton.  “There’s a bed back there with fresh sheets.  Go sleep.”

“Just trying to make myself useful.  Help get everyone organized before-”

“That’s what I’ve got a Beta for.”  Speirs pointed in the direction of the back room.

“Ron-”

“Nobody likes it when Mommy and Daddy fight,” Malarkey pointed out.

“Stuff it, Malark,” Lipton threw back, though he was smirking.

“He’s a’right for now,” Gene spoke up, not even flinching when Speirs looked at him with those intense eyes of his.  “But he does need to go rest when we’re all situated.”

Lipton flicked Gene’s ear and hissed, “You’re supposed to be on my side.”

Speirs looked satisfied though, stopping off at the piano to drop-off some war prizes he had already found.  “The magpie strikes again,” Talbert snickered.  Speirs had heard, giving him a sharp smile.

“Now, I wanted to-”  Speirs stopped, glaring at Jones.  “Who the hell are you?”

“Lieutenant Jones, sir.”

“What the hell are you doing in my CP?”

The kid frowned, looking confused.  “I was assigned to Easy, captain.”

Speirs grunted in response, shaking his head.  He looked away, but that meant his gaze found David.  “Webster?”  The Alpha looked a little stunned.  “What are you-?  Get over here.”

David scrambled to follow orders.  He ducked his head, giving Speirs a little smile from under his lashes.  “Got back as soon as I could, Alpha.”

Speirs looked at him for a long moment before his features softened and he pulled David in to scent.  The spice and pine of Speirs’ scent was strong, and traces of his mates were all over him.  “Good to have you back.”

David wiggled happily, licking Speirs’ chin before snuggling closer.  “Glad to have you in Easy finally, Alpha.”  Nix had written him the news along with the report of Muck and Penkala.  It was the last letter he’d received in fact.  “And, thank you…”  David flushed, ducking his head.  “For saving Gene and I.”

Speirs rumbled in reply, snuffling into his hair.  “Just go easy.  I don’t want any shifting from you unless Doc gives the okay.”

“Yes, Alpha.”  David shot Gene a look as he returned to his place next to Joe.  And if Joe wrapped an arm over his shoulders and started pressing scent into him, then David wasn’t about to say a word.


	7. Chapter 7

Ron put the new kid on ignore.  Really, Dick couldn’t have warned him?  He really couldn’t blame his mate though.  Dick and Nix were running themselves just as ragged as any of them.

He also decided to ignore Carwood’s stubborn refusal to go lay down - for the moment.  When the pups were gone, all bets were off.

At the moment he had something important to deal with.  “Talbert,” he said, “I need to talk with you a minute.  The rest of you stay put.”  There was distant mortar fire and he smirked.  “Unless we come under fire.  By all means, move then.”

“Hilarious, Ron,” Carwood muttered, rolling his eyes.  All the wolves just laughed.

Ron steered Talbert into the other room to have some privacy.  “I’ll get right to it,” he began, careful to keep his voice pitched low.  “You’re Dick’s Beta.  You’ll always be Dick’s Beta.  And the pack’s.  But I need to pick someone for myself.”

Talbert bit his lower lip, looking down.  “I understand, Alpha.”

Ron tsked, taking Talbert’s chin gently and pushing it upward to meet his gaze.  “It’s not a reflection on you.  You’re a perfect Beta, and I’m still going to be counting on you.”  He slid his hand around to scruff Talbert’s neck, thumb rubbing along the base of his skull.

Talbert sighed, untensing.  “You just want someone that you’ve picked.  I get it.”

Ron’s lips ticked.  “Well, I may also have another motive.”  When Talbert just stared back in question, Ron gave him a little shake before releasing him.  “I want Grant.”

Talbert opened his mouth before snapping it quickly shut.  It took a moment, but Talbert smiled.  “Thank you, Alpha.”

Ron pressed their foreheads together, breathing in Talbert’s scent.

It was true that Ron wanted a Beta of his own because he knew Talbert would always belong to Dick.  The fact that his choice would be Grant, well, it had the bonus of giving Talbert’s not-yet-mate the same status within the pack.  It might have seemed like a hasty decision, but Ron had watched the pack closely in the couple battles after Foy, and he knew that Grant would be more than capable as a Beta for the pack - _his_ Beta.

“Shall we go tell them the good news?” Ron inquired, pulling away.

Talbert smirked.  “So that was your ‘personnel change’ you mentioned.”

Ron’s grin was too sharp to be mistaken for human, he knew.  Not that Talbert or the wolves ever cared.  In fact, Talbert mirrored it with one of his own, eyes flashing the wolf underneath.

They returned to Alley and Babe dog-piled on Web, while Malarkey and Liebgott tussled in wolf form.  Carwood was pretending not to notice the ruckus.  Martin and Roe looked entirely unamused.  Bull and Grant laughed openly though, at least until the pair walked in.

“Listen up,” Ron announced.  Web whined pitifully at the bottom of the pile and Ron glared.  It sent Babe and Alley off like their tails had been singed.  “The reason I wanted you all here was because I’m naming my own Beta.”

“What?”  That grabbed Carwood’s attention - after all, Ron hadn’t mentioned it to anyone.  “But…”  He looked over to Talbert and back again.

“Talbert will still be a Beta,” Ron assured, “but as the Commanding Alpha, I have the ability to pick my own.”

Carwood nodded in understanding.  “And Tab was Dick’s choice.”

Ron inclined his head before getting back on track.  “Grant,” he said, watching as Grant froze.  “Job’s yours if you want it.”

Grant’s eyes widened, looking over at Talbert immediately.  Talbert gave him a smile and nodded.  That was all it took for Grant to run over and crash straight into Ron.  “Yes, Alpha!”  Ron wrapped his arms around him, pressing his scent to Grant’s shoulder.

The room erupted in cheers and howls.  Ron smirked over Grant’s shoulder at Jones.  If the human had looked unsettled before, he was positively white as a sheet now.

“What’s going on in here?”  All attention fell to Dick and Nix as they entered through the back way.

“I just named Grant as my Beta,” Ron explained.

Dick smiled softly.  “Congratulations.”

“Thank you, Alpha.”  Grant puffed up proudly.

Ron watched Talbert shift anxiously, no doubt wanting to go to his Alpha.  Ron rolled his eyes, giving both Talbert and Grant a shove forward to go scent.  Dick was quite the sight with a man in each arm, pressed against his sides.

“It’s a good thing I’m not the jealous type,” Nix joked, sending Ron a wink.

Ron was just glad that their human mates understood their wolf natures, accepting that this was part of being with a wolf, with a pack.

“You needed something?” Ron prompted.  The Betas may have pouted, but they got the hint and returned to their sofa.

“Regiment wants a patrol for prisoners,” Dick explained.

“This comes straight from Colonel Sink,” Nix added quickly, “so, not my idea.”

“What do you need us to do?” Ron asked.

Dick sighed, coming further into the room.  “There’s a house on the other side of the river.  We know it’s occupied.  Oh-one-hundred you’ll cross it and bring back as many prisoners as you can find.  You can have fifteen men.  The rest of the battalion will be set up to provide covering fire.”

“I’m working on getting the boats,” Nix threw in.

Dick stepped closer to Ron.  “Think carefully on who you want to go.  I want this to be as foolproof as possible.”

“Don’t take any chances.  We’re too far along for that.”  Nix pushed off the wall, rubbing his shoulder against Ron’s as he passed by.

* * *

While the two Alpha wolves talked in hushed whispers off by themselves, the other wolves started to chatter lowly amongst themselves as well.  Nix took the opportunity to check on Carwood.  “How’re you feelin’, baby?”

Carwood offered him a tired smile.  “Ron’s yelling at me to go to bed.”

“And you should.”

“When the pack’s settled in, I’ll go too.”

Nix sighed and shook his head.  “You’re as bad as Dick.”  Carwood’s eyes sparkled in amusement.  Nix leaned down, stealing a quick kiss, despite Carwood’s refusal for the last week to do just that, afraid to get one of them sick next.

“Lew!” Carwood admonished, swatting at him.  The smile slid off Carwood’s face as his eyes flicked to the side.

Nix followed his gaze, finding a young officer standing there at attention.  “Who’re you?” Nix blurted.  It was blunt, maybe, but Nix didn’t care.  He might have teased Dick and Carwood about mothering Easy, and even Ron for being so protective, but damnit if Nix wasn’t just as bad.

“Lieutenant Jones, sir,” he introduced.

“ _Right_ , our West Pointer.”  Nix let out a laugh that was probably just a touch manic.  “Don’t get hurt.”

Nix heard a snicker from somewhere in Malarkey’s direction.

“Hey.”  Dick smacked his shoulder lightly to grab his attention.

“Yeah, alright.”  Nix grumbled an apology to Carwood.  “Feel better, sweetheart.”  He pressed a kiss to Carwood’s temple before looking down at Roe.  “Watch him like a hawk.”

“Yes, Alpha,” Roe replied with a firm nod.  Yeah, Nix didn’t have to worry about Carwood trying to pull one over on their pack medic.

Nix moved out of Dick’s way, allowing for Dick to trade a few quiet words with Carwood as well.  Instead, Nix turned to find Ron, giving him a half smile.  “See you in a bit, Sparky?”

Ron rolled his eyes but the look he was giving Nix was rather fond if he said so himself.

“Alright, pups,” Nix said, turning to the pack.  “You all behave.  I don’t want-”  His eyes passed over a wolf they had been missing.  “David?”

The young man beamed up at him.

“What in the world are you doing back?  Are you crazy?”  Despite his words, he bent down to wrap Web in a hug.

“He’s Easy Pack,” Bull spoke up.  “He’d _have_ to be a little crazy.”

The wolves all laughed and gave short howls of agreement.

“David.”  Dick had once again appeared behind Nix.  He was giving Web an exasperated, yet pleased look.  “Welcome back.”

“Thank you, Alpha.”  Web grinned as Dick quickly scented him.

“Come on,” Dick encouraged, and Nix knew they needed to get back to work, as much as he’d rather just stay and rest with the pack.

“Sir.”  Jones stepped forward.  “I’d like to volunteer for the patrol.”

Dick - bless him - just glanced over Jones with disinterest before looking back at Ron, who was already at their sick mate’s side.  “Ron?  Talk to you in an hour.”

“Yeah.”

Dick nodded before pressing a hand to Nix’s lower back to get him moving.  “Behave,” Dick threw back towards the pack as they were leaving.  No one but Nix saw the smirk on Dick’s face at the wolves’ mock complaints.

“I love you, Dick,” Nix mentioned.

Dick’s expression softened.  “I love you too, Lew.”

* * *

Joe snickered at Jones’ shocked expression.  David elbowed him, but he wasn’t exactly doing a good job of hiding his own amusement.

Though Joe’s attention was drawn to where their Alphas were talking about the patrol.  Speirs was leaning over Lipton - both an intimate and protective gesture that made Joe smile.

“I want pack leading this,” Speirs was saying.

“Understandable,” Lipton agreed, taking a sip of the coffee Luz had brought him before making himself scarce.  “Honestly, most of them could use a rest though.”

“Won’t argue there.”

“Captain,” Jones interrupted again.  “Request permission to go on the patrol.”

Joe growled, most of the pack following suit.  Was this idiot for real?

Speirs’ gaze was like ice as he stared down the _boy_ in their midst.  “No,” Speirs replied darkly.  “And unless you care to be ripped to shreds, I’d refrain from interrupting the Alphas when they’re speaking in the future.”

Jones quickly backed down - the smartest thing he’d done since arriving - putting himself against the wall.

“Who does this punk think he is?” Joe grumbled, a rumble still in his chest when the others had already gone silent.  David’s hand on his arm quieted him, Joe’s eyes snapping to him.  David only gave him a little smile.

“Grant,” Speirs continued.  “You’re leading tonight.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

Tab grinned, nosing at Grant’s cheek.

“Heffron,” Speirs said.  “Martin.  I want the two of you.  Malarkey?”

“Sir?”

“You up for going?”  It was a fair question, since out of all of them, Malarkey had perhaps suffered the most.  He had lost two of his best friends to death, and then Buck had gotten taken off the line for his own good.  Even with the pack surrounding him, Malarkey was a bit of a mess and they all knew it.

“If you need me, Alpha, then I’ll go.”

Speirs hummed, looking to Lipton who shook his head.  “Alley,” Lipton suggested instead, looking to said wolf.  “You’re up.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

Speirs looked over at Joe.  “Liebgott.  Need you as translator.”

“No problem, Alpha.”

“I think that gives us plenty of wolves,” Speirs said.  “Might end up with some of the humans though.”

“McClung?  Shifty?” Lipton suggested.

“Yeah.  We can pad it with some of the replacements with experience.  Hashey.  Garcia.”

“They’d both work.”

Speirs sighed, speaking to the pack.  “Well, obviously we’ll have to work out the details.  Why don’t you boys go get settled with your platoons.  I’ll send a runner later on to let you know the final roster.”

“Yes, Alpha,” they all replied.

Joe stood, offering a hand to David.  Smiling, David accepted the help, blushing when they came face to face.

“Oh, Webster,” Speirs said, drawing their attention.  “What platoon were you in?”

“First, sir.”

“Go ahead with Second,” Speirs ordered.  “They’ve lost a lot of wolves.  That alright with you, Grant?”

“Fine, Alpha.”

“Good.”  Speirs’ expression soured as he glanced over at Jones.  “And, uh, take the Lieutenant with you too.”

Joe didn’t know whether to groan in frustration or laugh at the fact Speirs had put the stupid kid in the platoon with the highest werewolf count.  Sure, part of that was likely the fact they had no officer to speak of in Second, thanks to both Buck and Harry being gone, and Peacock still on his furlough back in the States.  But there was no doubt that at least some part of it was Speirs being vindictive.

Roe stayed behind to keep an eye on Lipton, while the rest of them filed out.  They broke off into their own platoons - poor Alley having to go off alone without Roe.  There was no missing Tab’s loving kiss with Grant before he jogged to catch up with Martin and Bull.

The rest of them were Second.  It was no coincidence that they had been loaded down with wolves from the beginning.  Winters had deemed it a good idea to have a strike platoon of sorts, and it had certainly come in handy.  Missing their heavy-hitters in Toye and Guarnere though, it was a pretty big blow to the platoon’s capabilities to function as such.

Joe wasn’t a slouch.  He was top of the heap in the pack hierarchy for a reason.  If he wanted to challenge for Beta, he could probably take Grant on and win, Tab too.  But Joe wasn’t interested in dealing with that sort of thing.  Neither were Guarnere and Toye, which was why they’d all easily accepted Tab back in England.

Boy did he miss those two now.  Glancing over at David, he couldn’t help but ask, “Bill an’ Toye holdin’ up?”

“Bill’s healing really well,” David confirmed.  “Toye is too.  It’s just been slower.  He wasn’t able to shift yet when I snuck out.”

Joe shook his head, smirking.  “Still can’t get over _you_ sneaking out there, Harvard.”

David grinned.  “Hey, you’d be surprised what I know how to do.”

Admittedly, Joe’s mind went straight for a dirty thought and he had to look away.  “Whatever, Web,” he threw out to cover.  “You just got lucky.”

“Hey, Web!” Babe chirped, turning to walk backwards.  “Anyone tell you what happened to Dike?”

Joe smirked.   _Oh, this should be good._

“Nix only said that Speirs took over the company.”

It was Malarkey that piped up.  “Speirs ripped Dike’s throat out during the charge on Foy.”

“What?!”

“Should ask Alley or Luz.  They saw the whole thing go down.”

Joe glanced over his shoulder at Jones, noting the wide eyes and how the human had paled.  Grinning to himself, Joe added a little louder than necessary, “That’s what happens when you mess with an Alpha wolf.”

Grant barked a laugh.  “That’s what you get when you try to fuck with an Alpha wolf’s _mate_.”

David leaned in towards Joe while the others were laughing, voice dropped low.  “You are really going to have to fill me in on what I missed.”

The scent of fresh sunflowers drifted under his nose and Joe smiled.  “Yeah.  Alright.”


	8. Chapter 8

Speirs had stopped by the OP to let them know the final roster for the night patrol.  David pursed his lips.  Noting that no one was paying attention to him, he slipped out the door and jogged after Speirs.

“Alpha!” David called when he got closer.

“Yeah?”  Speirs turned to face him and David paused at the intensity of that gaze.

Realizing that the Alpha was waiting, David cleared his throat.  “I’d like to go on the patrol instead of Liebgott.”

Speirs raised a brow.

“We both speak German.  And there’s no reason for Liebgott to go when I’m fresh back.”

“While it’s a good offer,” Speirs answered, “you’re not in any real shape to fight.”

“But I just need to be there to translate.”

“And you would be in the assault team, possibly having to discharge your weapon to save yourself or pack.”

David frowned.  “I can use my sidearm,” he pressed all the same, not willing to give up.  “Liebgott and the others are exhausted.  It’s the least I can do.”

Speirs’ features softened.  “I understand, Web.  Believe me, I do.”  He hooked the back of David’s neck and tugged him in.  “But right now, we need you here.”

David whined.

“Hush.”  Speirs gave his neck a squeeze.  “There’s no need for that.”

“Alpha-”

“No.”  Speirs gave him a sharp look.  “That’s final.”

“Yes, Alpha,” David murmured, looking down at his feet.

Before Speirs left, he pressed a kiss to David’s cheek and mentioned, “Liebgott would have a fit if something happened to you.”  David furrowed his brows, watching after Speirs as he walked down the road.

Another random burst of mortar fire nearby drove him back inside.  It seemed as though he didn’t take his eyes off Joe for the rest of the day.

* * *

Grant had all the guys in Second going on patrol in the downstairs of their OP as they prepped their gear.  A few of the pack from their other platoons had snuck in - Alley and Martin among them.  There was also Malarkey and David hovering in a corner.

Joe sighed, setting his rifle aside.  “Web,” he called, startling him from whatever thoughts he’d been focused on.  Joe tipped his head to the side, indicating David to follow.

Outside, the sun was fading.  Night was falling over them.

David took a final drag off his cigarette before flicking it away.  “What are we doing out here?”

“I, uh, wanted to tell you something.”

David tilt his head.  “About what?”  When Joe just stared at him, he asked, “You okay?”

Joe licked his lips - trying to ignore the way David tracked the movement - and nodded.

Ever since David was hit, Joe had been thinking of the box inside his jacket.  He had promised himself that if David came back, he would wolf-up and finally give him the damn things.  Even if David rejected his suit…

“Wanted you to have something,” Joe finally managed.  He took the small box out - a little crushed and worse for wear now - and passed it over.

When David opened the box, his brows shot up.  “Joe,” he breathed, fingers running over the cufflinks.

Joe quickly looked at the ground when David’s gaze turned to him.  “I figured since I’m goin’ out there…  Wanted you to ‘ave ‘em in case…”  Well, Joe wasn’t planning on dying.  But Bastogne had sure changed a lot about how he looked at things.

He wasn’t expecting David to crash into him, arms wrapping tightly around him.  There was a burst of summer scent - sunflowers and ocean spray.  Then there was the quiet sob.

“Web, what’s-?”

“They’re beautiful, Joe.”  David sniffed as he turned his nose into Joe’s neck.

Joe finally remembered to breathe, holding onto David in turn.  “Yeah?” he managed to ask, heart in his throat.

“I can’t believe-  You had to have these before we left for Bastogne.”  David pulled back enough to look at Joe, eyes wet with tears.  “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Joe frowned.  He hated to admit it, but then he wasn’t about to lie to David.  “I was scared.”

David seemed to understand.  He bit his lip and looked away.  Joe caught a blush as David asked, “Does this mean you want to court me?”

“For someone so smart…”  Joe laughed when David punched his shoulder.  David was grinning though, that bright look of pure happiness that set Joe’s heart racing every time.  “Yeah, David,” Joe murmured, “I’d like to court you.”

“Well,” David mused, stepping into Joe’s space, “I accept.”  David pressed their lips together in a chaste kiss, smiling when he pulled away.  There was a coy expression on his face as he started to walk back towards the OP.

Joe likely had the stupidest grin on his face as he followed, but he didn’t exactly care.

* * *

They lost Cobb, Skinny, and Garcia in the river.  It wasn’t a good start to the mission, and it seemed to just go downhill from there.

Chuck took the lead, getting the pack into cover.  He looked over at Martin, who was meant to lead the group on covering fire.  “I need one more for the assault team.”

“I’ll go, sir,” Jackson volunteered.  He was one of the few non-pack on the roster, though the kid had managed to become more than  _ just another replacement  _ in their minds, much as Garcia and Hashey had.

“Fine.  Come on.”  Chuck directed the flow of traffic, everyone leap-frogging one another in pairs until they got up to the house.  From there he sent the teams to secure their flanks, with Martin at a crossroads.  “Take the Lieutenant with you,” he added dismissively.

Jones narrowed his eyes, but Chuck stared right back.  He wasn’t just Easy’s Beta wolf; he had specifically been put in command of this patrol.  If the kid didn’t like it, then that was too bad.

With their perimeter secure, Chuck gave the signal to move in.  “Alley, Babe.”  The two wolves were in form, taking the lead with Chuck on their six.  Behind him was Liebgott and Jackson - who was meant to be Skinny.

Chuck took a deep breath before pulling the pin on a grenade.  He took a step back from the wall, tossing it straight through the window.  Someone rushed past him and Chuck didn’t react quick enough to snag Jackson.  The kid was tossing another grenade inside before rushing up the stairs.

“Jackson!  No!”  Chuck was on his heels but didn’t manage to grab him before Jackson kicked in the door.  The grenade exploded and Jackson was down.

The rest moved in a blur.  Alley and Babe jumped over Jackson’s body, through the smoke.  Chuck and Liebgott moved in behind them, rifles pointed at the German soldiers they found inside.

“Watch them,” Chuck ordered the pair of wolves, the Germans cowering back from them as they snarled and readied to pounce - it was excellent intimidation to be certain.

As Liebgott gave the Germans orders, Chuck knelt next to Jackson.  Turning his body over, he found Jackson was still alive, gasping for breath.  “Fuck.”

Chuck grit his teeth.  Stepping out the door, he signaled for McClung.  “Help Jackson.”  Passing by Liebgott, he smacked the wolf’s shoulder and ordered him to get the prisoners ready to move.  He then got to work setting the charges to blow the building, trying to block out the sound of Jackson crying in pain.

“What about this one?” Liebgott asked, pointing out the badly injured German.

“We’re not dragging him with us.”  Chuck pulled his pistol and put a bullet in the German’s head.  He pointed the gun in the direction of the other two, eyes hard.  “Tell them if they don’t move it, they’re next.”

Liebgott’s grin was feral as he passed the message.

“Alright, McClung, take Jackson.  Alley, Heffron, take a prisoner each.  Let’s move!”

They had drawn attention, enemy gunfire coming from further in the town.  “Fall back!” Chuck yelled, rushing ahead of his team.  “Move it!”

The rest of the battalion was waiting across the river to open fire.  “Get clear!” Chuck ordered.  “Come on!  Move!”  He stopped in some cover, urging his men ahead to the boats.

Certain that the pack was out of the fire zone, Chuck tipped his head back and howled.  The machine gun fire that opened up across the river was accompanied by an answering howl - Tab.

As soon as they got back to safe shore, Chuck ordered everyone into the nearest house.  “Martin, get the prisoners secured.  Doc!” he yelled to Roe who was waiting nearby.  “Jackson’s been hit.”  Roe hurried in behind the others.

Tab came jogging up.  There was no missing the quick once-over he was given.  “I’m fine,” Chuck assured quickly.

“Who’s hit?”

“Jackson.”

Tab looked towards the house, pulling at his lower lip.

“Stop that,” Chuck chastised, smacking his hand.  He knew that gesture - Tab was thinking deeply about something.

“Sorry, just…  Glad you’re alright.”

Chuck scrubbed their cheeks together briefly, not missing the sour note of Tab’s scent.  He noticed Speirs watching them closely, obviously waiting.  “Check on them?” he asked Tab, giving his arm a squeeze before going to his Alpha.

“Two prisoners and one casualty,” Chuck reported.

“Who?”

“Jackson.”

Speirs tsked, looking away.  Chuck would have thought it was from disappointment had Speirs not quickly said, “Good work.”

“Chuck!” Tab yelled, coming outside to them.  “Jackson’s dead.”

“Shit.”  Chuck growled in frustration.  “His own goddamn grenade.  He walked into his own grenade!”

“That’s not on you,” Speirs said, grabbing his shoulder.  Chuck met his gaze.  After a moment, Speirs softened, cupping his face.  His thumb ran across Chuck’s cheek.  “Go to them.  I’ll have the MP’s come get the prisoners and then I want you all to go get some rest.”

“Yes, Alpha,” he answered softly.  He bit back the whine when Speirs leaned forward to nuzzle him before walking off.

“Come on,” Tab murmured, arm coming around his waist.  “Pack needs us.”

Chuck looked over at him, Tab’s face filled with love, and he threw his arms around him.  “I love you, Floyd.”

Tab squeezed him tight.  “Love you too.”

* * *

“Don’t bother writing this up.  I’ll take care of it,” Nix told Ron.  “Might actually enjoy it.”

Ron smirked.  It faltered though when they both looked at Dick.

“Did I overstep?” Dick asked them.  He wasn’t used to doing things spontaneously - he would have to blame Nix - and suddenly he was all too aware of what he’d just done.  “All I was concerned with was protecting the pack, but-”

“Dick.”  Nix smiled at him.  “You did the right thing.”

Dick exhaled, nodding.

“Come on,” Ron added, grabbing Dick at the elbow.  “Carwood’s waiting on us.”

His mate was right of course, and Dick allowed them to herd him to the company CP.  After last night’s patrol, both Dick and Nix were swept up in all the activity that followed any operation.  But they had promised to make time after the briefing to spend some time with Carwood.

“Does he know?” Dick asked Ron.

“He’s got no idea.”

Dick smiled softly.  “Good.”  At least they would be able to surprise Carwood.

When they arrived, though, it was  _ them  _ that got a surprise.  “Harry?” Dick said.  “No one said you were coming back.”

Harry grinned and Nix laughed.  “Why does everyone around here always sneak out of the hospital?”

Enthusiastic greetings were exchanged - save for Ron, who simply shook Harry’s hand kindly enough.  “Welcome back,” Dick assured, happy to see him.

“Thank you.  Though I heard I might not be needed anymore.  Something about a young, new Lieutenant.”

Ron scoffed.  “Not for much longer.”

“I got him a transfer,” Nix clarified with a grin.

“Already?” Carwood asked.

Dick couldn’t help but smile at his mate.  Carwood looked so much better.  His fever had broken in the night between Ron and Gene’s mothering, and he was on his way to bouncing back.  Dick dropped a kiss on top of his head.  “So glad to see you better, mate.”

“I second that,” Nix agreed, going to Carwood’s other side to kiss his cheek.

“We brought you something,” Dick continued, taking the papers from his jacket and handing them over.  “Your discharge from the army.  And your commission as an officer.  Congratulations, Carwood.”

Carwood beamed.  “Thank you, sir.”

Dick let the “sir” slide.  He couldn’t fault the habit.

Ron stepped forward, bars in hand.  “You’ve earned this,” he said, putting them on.  When he was done, he kissed Carwood straight on the mouth.

“I might still be contagious,” Carwood chided, but he was smiling all the same.

While Harry was offering his own congratulations, Nix cleared his throat.  “I got something else from Sink,” he mentioned.  He took a box from his jacket, tossing it to Dick.  “Said he wasn’t happy with your uniform.”

Dick lowered his brows but Nix just nodded towards the box.  When he opened it, Dick froze.  “Oak leaves.”

“Congratulations, Major.”  Nix smirked, throwing him a casual salute.  Ron, Carwood, and Harry’s had a proper snap.

Dick, well, he laughed.  He couldn’t help it.  “I never imagined…”  Dick shook his head in disbelief.

“Gonna put ‘em on, or what?” Nix griped.

Ron rolled his eyes, taking the box so he could pin Dick’s new rank on as well.  He was looking at Dick with such a fondness that was rarely seen with the exception of his mates.

Harry scoffed.  “Jeez, can’t a guy be back for five minutes without you all making eyes at each other.  I’m gonna go see the pack.  Sheesh.  Unbelievable.”  It was a mock complaint, one that made them all chuckle.

“Well, as long as we’ve got some time…” Nix ventured.

Dick gave a put-upon sigh.  “I suppose.”

“Ha!  We managed to help Dick find his sense of humor.”

Carwood snickered, attempting to hide it.

Ron shook his head.  “What are we gonna do with him?” he asked Dick.

“I could think of a few things.”

Nix’s gaze became hooded then.  “Oh?  I like where this is going.”

“Carwood’s still sick,” Ron retorted, cuffing Nix in the back of the head as he walked by.  When no one followed, he looked back with a raised brow.  “Bedroom’s this way.  Coming or not?”

Nix hurried after Ron, Carwood smirking when Ron was shoved through the doorway.  Dick slid his arm around Carwood’s waist, nuzzling at his neck.  “Come on,” Dick mused.  “Let’s not keep them waiting.”

It was just a good thing no one needed the Alphas for anything.  Somehow, they managed to spend a lazy afternoon curled up together with the sun shining through the windows.  Dick stretched out in his wolf form, giving a happy rumble.

It was a damn good day.


	9. Chapter 9

David shook his head at Joe.  “You know, I can carry my own bag.”

One strap over each shoulder, Joe looked over at him with his brows lowered.  “Yeah?  So?”

“I get you’re courting me now, but I’m perfectly capable-”

“Web.  Let a guy do his thing, okay?”

David sighed and gave in.

The streets of Hagenau were a flurry of activity.  They had indeed had a good night's rest thanks to Alpha Winters’ fake patrol, and now they were preparing to move off the line.

“‘Ey, Web!”  David looked up to see Luz in the doorway of the CP.  “Come gimme a hand, would ya?”

“Yeah, sure!”  He looked over to find Joe scowling and David smirked.  “Be right back,” he assured, kissing Joe’s cheek.

It turned out Luz and Vest were the only ones packing up the extra supplies from the CP.  David didn’t mind helping out, and he didn’t miss how Luz was giving him all the light boxes.

“My shoulder’s fine, Luz,” he argued.  “Pile another one on.”  Luz gave him a skeptical look but gave him another anyway.

David was jostling the boxes onto the truck tailgate for Vest to stack up, when he heard Cobb.  “Sure you can handle that, Professor?” he jeered.

David glanced over at him with an air of indifference.  “Making yourself useful, I see,” he replied smartly.

“Ooo, lookie here.  Little Webster get himself a backbone.”

“What’d you say, Cobb?”  Joe had shown up from nowhere, getting into Cobb’s face.

“You heard me.”  Cobb sneered.

“Joe, don’t.”  David put his hand on Joe’s chest, trying to push him back.

“Shuddup, Cobb.”  Cobb went down like a sack of potatoes, face-first into a mud puddle.  David and Joe looked to find none other than Guarnere standing there, smirking down at the idiot.

“Bill!” David yelled, jumping over Cobb’s prone form and giving Guarnere a hug.

Joe growled at Cobb as he was getting up, and Cobb thought better of opening his mouth further and vanished.  “Idiot,” Joe muttered.  “Acts like he’s pack.”  Cobb may have been a Toccoa man, but he hadn’t been thought of as pack since he never made the jump on D-Day.

“Good ta see some things don’t change,” Guarnere mentioned, offering his hand to Joe.

Joe took it, pulling Guarnere in to nuzzle their cheeks together.  “Damnit,” Joe half-laughed in relief.  “How the hell are ya?”

“Good ‘nough to be back.”

“Toye?” David asked.

“Finally shifted back.  Tha’s why I skipped out.  Figured he was alrigh’ on his own now.”  Guarnere looked between them and smirked when his eyes caught the new mother-of-pearl cufflinks on David’s fresh shirt.  “So, uh, you two finally got yer shit together?”

Joe snorted.  “Why’d I miss you again?”

Guarnere only grinned and shoved Joe’s shoulder.  He gave David a quick nuzzle before saying, “Well, better find one of the Alphas and report in.”

As he walked off, David found himself smiling.  With Perco, Harry, and now Bill back with Easy, that meant out of the pack that could possibly return, they were only missing Toye and Buck.  They were really starting to be complete again.

“Come on guys!” Malarkey barked.  “Mount up!”

Joe nudged their shoulders together, tipping his head for them to join their platoon.  Climbing in the back of the truck first, Joe smiled as he held out his hand.  “Here.”

David grinned back, hand sliding into Joe’s.  He never wanted to let go.

* * *

Nix grinned over at Ron.  The wolf looked rather endearing all loose with alcohol.  They were already well into their second bottle of champagne.  Nix knew they should slow down, especially after the long talk his mates had had with him about his drinking, but he felt like today they could stand to bend the rules a little.

_“You don’t need that, Nix,” Dick said firmly, stealing the bottle right out of his hand._

_“Dick,” Nix warned, making a play for it._

_Dick was faster, keeping the bottle away.  “You’ve been drinking more lately.  And I’m not the only one concerned.”_

_“Well forgive me for wanting a drink every once and awhile.”_

_Dick raised a challenging brow.  “If that was really all it was, do you think I’d be worried about you tipping a few back after a jump that went to hell?”_

_Nix scowled.  Dick had a point but that didn’t mean Nix had to like it._

_Before he could argue though, Ron burst through the door.  “What the hell was that all about, Nix?!” he demanded._

_“Ron?  What’s-?”_

_“Coming into town, his damn jeep driver almost ran me over.  Doesn’t even so much as stop to make sure I’m alright.  In fact he just throws me this look.  I had my hands full with some stuff to ship home, so I finished taking care of that before coming here.”_

_Ron was pissed, to put it lightly, and Dick was looking at Nix in utter disbelief._

_“Nix?”  Dick seemed unsure what to even say._

_Nix took a deep breath and let it out slowly, scrubbing his hands over his face.  “I’m sorry,” he muttered._

_“Nix-”_

_“I’m sorry,” he repeated, more forcefully, looking at Ron.  He watched the wolf deflate.  “I didn’t even realize that was you.  I swear, Ron.  My only focus was getting back here.”_

_“For this,” Dick noted, waving the bottle of Vat._

_Nix hung his head.  He could admit his drinking had started to get out of hand shortly after leaving Hagenau.  He choked on a sob, feeling completely overwhelmed by everything that surrounded him.  Two bodies pressed against him, holding him as he cried, clinging to them for dear life._

Later they had him bundled on the couch, and along with Carwood they all talked to him.  Since then, Nix had made a conscious effort to watch his drinking, and to allow himself to open up more about it with his mates.  The first he was doing quite well at actually, and the second still needed work, but he was _trying_.

He hated for his mates to see him weak.  He hated for them to worry about him even more though.

“Did you save the rest of us any?” Carwood asked.  He and Dick were walking onto the terrace of the Eagle’s Nest.  By the way they smiled at he and Ron, they weren’t upset at their drinking.

“Ready for some good news?” Dick asked, glancing from them to Harry.  “German army surrendered.”

They all stared at Dick in stunned silence.  He just grinned and held his hand out.  “Give me one of those.”

Ron gave him a tipsy smile, offering him the bottle he was holding without thought.  When Dick tipped the bottle back to take a healthy gulp, Nix couldn’t help but laugh.  Harry, well, he about fell over in shock.

Carwood smiled in amusement at Dick’s grimace, taking the bottle off him for his own swig.  “Mmm, this is really good stuff.”

“We know,” Ron and Nix answered together.  They looked at each other before starting another fit of giggles.

“I think they’ve already had enough,” Dick mused.

“But then we don’t get to show them their surprise,” Carwood answered with a smirk.

Both Nix and Ron perked up.  “Surprise?” Ron asked.

It turned out that there was an entire cellar of the finest wine and liquor with their names on it.  Nix wanted to point out that it wasn’t exactly something to give an individual with a drinking problem, but he’d save that for another day.  He wasn’t complaining when he woke up the next morning, pleasantly buzzed, with his mates sprawled across a bed in the Eagle’s Nest.

_Happy V-E Day indeed._

* * *

“Seriously, Ron,” Carwood teased, watching him shove more silver into a bag.  “How much stuff have you already sent home?”

“As though the rest of you haven’t acquired your own spoils.”

It was Nix that pointed out, “Pretty sure no one has gotten quite as much as you there, magpie.”

Ron glared at him, but Nix just smiled around his cigarette.  He was sitting on the window ledge, looking much like a cat sunning himself.  Meanwhile, Carwood was attempting to make himself look decent, while Ron was rummaging through their room in the Eagle’s Nest before they were forced to leave within the hour.  Dick, well, he had been called away to get everyone ready to go.

“I’ll have you know,” Ron mentioned, dumping out yet another drawer to see if there was anything good, “we’re going to have the best.  What we don’t want to keep, we can sell for a small fortune.”

“Did you forget there, Sparky,” Nix replied, “that my family’s rich?”

“Did you forget you told us they were disowning you for mating with some _mutts_?”

Nix flinched, looking away.  He had been  _seething_ when the letter came.  It wasn’t even the fact he was being cut off.   _“Mutts?!  MUTTS?!  How DARE they even-?  I can’t believe this shit!”_  Nix had promptly broken an end table and raided Dick’s footlocker for his Vat 69 - which was when the excessive drinking started.

At least that problem had resolved itself.  Their few days of celebrating in the Eagle’s Nest notwithstanding.  To be fair, Ron was pretty sure there wasn’t a sober person in the whole regiment.

“Ron,” Carwood tsked under his breath.

Ron sighed.  “Sorry, Lew.  I didn’t mean…”

“I know,” Nix said softly.  After a moment, Nix scoffed, stamping out his cigarette on the sill.  “Fuck it.  It’s not like I haven’t been a disappointment to them my whole life anyway.”  He met Ron’s gaze.  “Might as well get what _I_ want out of the deal.”

Ron’s lips curled up slightly.  “Love you, Lew.”

Nix’s whole demeanor brightened.  “I love you too.”

Carwood walked over, pressing against Nix and giving him a soft kiss.

Nix grinned, bopping Carwood’s nose with a finger.  “And I love you, sweetheart.”

Carwood scoffed, but he returned the sentiment, stealing another kiss.

“How’s a man supposed to loot over here when you’re doing that?”

“Not stoppin’ you, Sparky,” Nix teased between kisses.

 _Now that’s just plain unfair,_ Ron griped to himself.

He was saved, at least, when the door opened.  Harry poked his head inside, informing them that it was time to leave.

Sack in hand, Ron took one last look around the main room of the Eagle’s Nest on their way out.  He and some of the pack had climbed up the mountain and taken it by storm.   _His pack_.  He never thought he would say that, but there they had been, his Beta at his side, and pack behind him.

Ron smiled softly at the memory, turning away from the Nest to look at his mates.  “Let’s get out of here.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm uber late at posting this, I know. I got really busy and ended up forgetting about it. I've been rather depressed on my writing lately too, which isn't helping.

They were an occupation force now.  Carwood was certain he had never seen anything quite so beautiful as Austria.  There were wide open fields and stunning, snow-capped mountains.  The alpine lakes were a shade of blue Carwood hadn’t known existed.

The manor they obtained for Second Battalion's HQ - and unsurprisingly Easy’s accommodations - was gorgeous.  It overlooked one such lake, and the whole thing was picturesque.

“We’ll be comfortable here,” Nix mused.  Carwood traded a smile with him.

Soon, the main talk among the men was about the war still going on in the Pacific.  Unsurprisingly, Ron was eager to go.  Nix, not so much.  It seemed that Dick was as undecided how to feel about the whole thing as Carwood was.

“It doesn’t matter that you don’t have enough points,” Dick explained while they discussed their options out on the steps of the manor.  Nix and Ron were smoking, trading a cigarette between them, while Carwood was mostly occupied with the scenery.

“How you figure?” Nix asked, sitting with his back against the railing.

“Because we’re mated.”  Dick leaned an arm on the rail, standing on the landing below them.  “Under the Werewolf Articles, our mates go where we go.  If one of us was sent home for an injury, our mate would be allowed to follow.  In this case, if just one of us has the points to go home, we can all go home.”

Nix smirked.  “And you and Ron have the points.”

“Except Sink doesn’t want Dick going anywhere,” Ron reported, blowing out smoke.  He was leaning his hip against the railing beside Nix.

Carwood turned to look at Ron from where he sat on the steps below them.  “What are you talking about?”  Dick hadn’t mentioned anything to them.

Dick sighed, sending Ron a look.  “They decided to mark me as _vital_ , so I’m not going anywhere.”

Carwood’s eyes widened.  “They can’t do that!  You’ve earned the right to go home!”

“So, that leaves us with Sparky’s ticket then,” Nix mused, stealing the cigarette from Ron.  “And _someone_ wants to go jump on Tokyo because he’s a bloodthirsty wolf with control issues.”

Ron scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“Lewis,” Carwood chastised, smacking Nix’s thigh.

“For the record,” Ron said, bending over to look Nix in the eye, “I don’t want to leave the pack.”

Carwood frowned.  “Ron has a point,” he murmured, looking over at Dick.  Carwood hadn’t really considered that.

“I don’t want to either,” Dick admitted softly.

After a minute or so, it was Nix that broke the silence.  “Hell, Dick, I don’t think anyone would blame you guys for wanting to go home.”  He sighed before conceding, “But it’s not as though the wolves would want to jump without their Alphas either.”

Ron nudged Nix with his foot.  “That includes you too, you know.  They wouldn’t know what to do with us gone.”

“They would know,” Dick insisted.  “We trained them well.  All of us.”

Carwood couldn’t argue.  The Toccoa men - _the pack_ \- were the best men in the whole 101st, of that Carwood had no doubt.  All the same, he remembered back to the mutiny against Sobel, how the wolves had refused to go anywhere without their Alpha to lead them.

“They’d pull the same stunt.”  Carwood didn’t realize he’d spoken aloud until Dick asked for clarification.  “The wolves wouldn’t fight without us.  They’d do exactly what they did with Sobel.  Only this time, maybe Sink just breaks them all up, sends them to different companies.”

The thought of the pack being _broken_ was almost unfathomable.  Carwood wouldn’t have believed it before boot camp, that he would become an Alpha to a group of werewolves and humans.  But then, he wouldn’t have imagined mating to a wolf, let alone  _two_ , plus another man on top of it.

Carwood rubbed at the bite on his left arm, the one from Dick.  Looking down, he could see the one from Ron on his right.  He wouldn’t trade any of this if it meant getting to have his mates.

“We can’t leave them,” Carwood agreed, looking between them.

Nix smirked, blowing smoke from his lips.  “Well, looks like that’s settled then.”

Carwood frowned.  “I’m sorry, Nix.  I know you don’t want to keep doing thi-”

“Sweetheart.”  Nix smiled softly, leaning over to give him a brief kiss.  “It’s okay.”

“Well,” Ron mused.  “Looks like it’s settled then.  We stay with Easy.”

Dick nodded.  “Looks that way.”

There was the padding of feet on the steps, and around the corner appeared a large brown wolf.  “Hey, Bill,” Carwood greeted.  “What you need?”  After a moment though, Carwood realized it wasn’t Guarnere at all.  He only knew one other wolf that looked exactly like him, save the white star on this one’s chest.  “Toye?!”

Dick whirled around, eyes wide.  “Joe.  How in the world…?”

The wolf seemed to smirk before shifting to his human form.  There in the flesh was Joe Toye himself.  “Sorry it took so long to get back, Alphas.”

“Toye.”  Carwood was grinning as he pulled Toye into a hug.  “Damn, it’s good to see you.”

“Good to be back, sir.”  Toye nuzzled him.  He greeted Dick next, then Nix, and finally Ron.  Toye was watching Ron carefully.  “So you took over the pack, huh?”

“I did,” Ron confirmed.

Toye hummed, looking disinterested.  Ron just continued to stare.  Finally Toye cracked a rare smile.  “Glad to hear it, Alpha.”

Ron’s lips quirked.  “I’m going to assume you escaped from the hospital since we didn’t receive notice you were coming back.”

Toye lifted a shoulder.

Carwood rolled his eyes.  “Pups.  All of them.”

“You said it,” Nix agreed.

Dick was amused.  “Did you already see the pack?”

“No, Alpha.  Left my bag down there.  Wanted to see you all first.”

“Well, go see them.  Get settled.  Grant can get you set with an assignment.”

“Yes, Alpha.”  Toye gave him a lopsided grin, jogging back down the stairs.

Carwood smiled after him.  “Looks like the pack’s all here.”

“Sure does,” Dick agreed, arm going around Carwood’s waist.  “How about we go down to the lake,” he suggested.

“So many duties,” Nix mused.  “When are we ever going to have time for ourselves?”

“Let’s go grab our suits,” Carwood agreed.  “Promised the pack we’d go into town tonight.”

“Like nothing could go wrong with that plan.”

“You can always come too, Nix.”

“I’ll pass on the babysitting.  Gotta make sure this one,” he jabbed his thumb towards Dick, “doesn’t stay up late doing God knows what with all that paperwork.”

Dick gave Nix a fond - if not exasperated - look.  “We could all take a night.  We’re not going to be here forever.”

“Might as well take advantage of it,” Ron agreed.

They heard howls coming from inside the manor and smiled.  Carwood added, “And we can celebrate having our pack back together.”

“That we can, mate,” Dick agreed.  “That we can.”

* * *

“You sure about this, Web?”

David raised a brow at Joe.  “You’re seriously asking this  _now?”_  His shirt was across the room, Joe’s hanging off of him while he kneeled on the bed in between David’s spread legs.

Joe threw him a look back.  “Yeah, I am.  We don’t need to do this right away.  I mean, shit.  It’s only been how many months since I started courting you?”

“Joe-”

“An’ what about yer parents?  Won’t they want some big ceremony or something?”

“Joe-”

“Not that they’re gonna want someone like _me_ in the family, but still-”

“ _Joe_.”  David raised his voice to cut off the rambling.  “First, I don’t give a damn what my parents have to say.  I stopped caring years ago, when I decided that whenever it came to my own happiness, I was likely going to disappoint them.  So, you’re right.  They wouldn’t want someone like you as my mate.  You’re not an Ivy League wolf with a pedigree as long as my arm.  And I.  Don’t.  Care.”

Joe licked his lips, looking almost nervous.

“You know _why_ I don’t care?  Because most of those guys?  They’re arrogant assholes that I can’t stand to be in the same room with for more than an hour, let alone _mate_ one of them.  There also happens to be the part where I love you.”

Joe’s eyes widened a moment before his whole body relaxed.  “I love you too, David.  Which is why I don’t want us to rush things.”

“I know what I want.”  David took hold of Joe’s face.  “ _You_.”

Joe smiled.

“So it’s a little fast.  We’re still in the middle of a fucking war.  We can be deployed God knows when.  We might not see the States again for _years_.”  David took a deep breath - now he was the one rambling.  “The point is…  I want this.”

“I want this too,” Joe confirmed.

David smiled softly, giving him a kiss.  “And when we _do_ get home, we’ll have a big mating ceremony with all the family and friends you want.”

Joe smiled.  “I don’t need nothin’ fancy, Web.  Just you.”

“There’s a romantic under there after all, Joseph Liebgott.”

Joe shoved him back onto the bed, a playful smirk on his face.  “Where you want your bite?”

David licked his lips.  “I was thinking…”  He brought his hand up, brush his fingers across his collarbone.  It would hurt, he knew, but it would be worth it to watch Joe every time he saw it.

Already Joe’s eyes were looking a bit glazed over, tongue poking out between his lips.  “I could do that.”  He met David’s gaze then.  “Ready?”

David smiled.  “Ready.”

* * *

“You’re both stupid,” Gene declared.

Babe sat nearby, laughing.  He normally tried to save the pack from Gene’s fussing, but not this time.  Instead, he watched as Web and Lieb both got a mouthful from the pack’s grumpy medic.  At least it gave Gene something better to do than fuss over Toye now that he was back.

“They’re clean bites,” Web argued, earning himself a sharp glare.

“We can always go see the battalion doc if yer too busy, Gene,” Lieb threw in.

“Move,” Gene warned with a bit of growl, “and I’ll gut you.”

Liebgott only grinned, showing off his canines.  He didn’t move though.

“Idiots,” Gene muttered as he got to work cleaning and bandaging Web’s bite first.  “Just like the damn Alphas.  Don’t bother to think ‘bout gettin’ sick.  No.  Let Doc work miracles.”

Babe bit his lower lip to try and stop from laughing, but it didn’t do much good.

“Heffron,” Gene prompted, “make yerself useful and find that ointment in my bag.”

When Babe found it, he handed it off.  Gene paused when he took it, eyes falling to the blue cloth around Babe’s wrist, Gene’s face softening momentarily.

Babe knew he wanted to mate with Gene.  Their courting at this point was just formality.  Unlike Liebgott and Web, though, Babe knew that Gene wasn’t about to make it official without their home packs and a proper mating ceremony.

That was fine by Babe.  His ma was likely to kill him if he brought a mate home that she’d never even met.  Besides, Babe rather liked the idea of a big ceremony that their new pack here could attend as well.

Not that he could blame Web or Liebgott for wanting to place their bites now.  Even their Alphas had made claims.  Hell, it would be a year soon, wouldn’t it?

“We should plan something for the Alphas,” Babe mentioned, drawing their attention.  “Gonna be a year since they mated.  If we’re not redeployed yet, maybe we could throw them a party.”

Web’s face lit up.  “That’s a great idea.”

Lieb made a face, but Babe figured it had more to do with Gene’s prodding than his idea.

“Malark and Bill would probably help,” Babe continued.  “Alley.  Christenson.”

“We can’t tell Luz,” Web replied.  “He’d blab the whole thing.”

“Good point.”  Babe caught Gene smiling.  “Gene can help.  He can play look-out whenever we actually set it up.”

“Oh, I can, can I?”

“You will.”  Babe grinned at him, Gene shaking his head.

“Harry could probably be a distraction too,” Web mentioned.

“Why do I get the feeling,” Liebgott prompted when Gene finished with him, “that I’m gonna get drug into this too?”

“Because you love me?” Web replied the same time Babe said, “‘Cause yer his bitch now?” while jabbing his thumb towards Web.

Liebgott’s glare had zero effect, and Babe just grinned at him.

“Come on,” Gene griped, helping Babe to his feet.  “I gotta go check on Toye.  He’s prolly wi’h Bill, so you can bug him about this idea of yours.”

Babe said a quick farewell to his two newly mated packmates, smiling when he saw they were already snuggled together with Liebgott making the most pathetic gooey eyes at Web.

“They’re gonna be okay,” Babe mentioned, holding onto Gene’s hand.

“Those bites should heal fine.”

“No.”  Babe laughed.  “I meant wit’ bein’ mated.”

Gene made a noncommittal noise.

“Gene?” he prompted.

“Yeah?”

“When we get home, I wanna get mated.”

Gene paused, looking over at Babe for a long moment.  Finally, Gene smiled.  “Me too.”

Babe pressed their mouths together in a long, slow kiss.  He knocked their noses together, smiling as he smelled Gene’s molasses scent, sweet and rich with happiness.  Home couldn’t come fast enough.

* * *

“Chuck!”  Tab tried to go to his injured partner but Speirs cut him off.  “Alpha!”  Speirs’ fingers dug into his arms when he tried to look around him to where Chuck was lying.  “Chuck-?”

“He’s gonna be fine,” Speirs said firmly, eyes like flint.  He ducked his head a little, coming closer to Tab’s face - he couldn’t look away from Speirs if he wanted to.  “Find me the shooter.   _Alive_.”

Tab set his jaw, working it back and forth.  He needed to be with Chuck.  But Speirs had given an order.  Tab’s eyes flicked over to where Roe was holding a bottle of plasma.  The medic nodded to him and Tab took a deep breath.  He had to trust them to look out for Chuck.

“I’ll find him, Alpha,” Tab assured, meeting Speirs’ gaze.  Speirs nodded before giving him a little shove.

Tab ran straight for the manor, where most everyone had likely been awoken by the two replacements that ran in to tell him that Chuck had been taken to the aid station after being shot.  They had smelled of Chuck’s blood and Tab screwed his eyes shut momentarily as he willed himself not to think about it.

Sure enough, a lot of the pack was already milling around in the hall, waiting on him.  “Tab,” Luz came forward.

Tab waved him off.  “I want human pack organizing roadblocks on every road out of town,” he ordered - he could count on the likes of More, Christenson, Popeye, and the others to take care of things.  “Wolves are with me or Guarnere.  We each take one of the witnesses.  House to house search.”

“Can we shoot this bastard on sight?” Malarkey inquired.

Tab growled, “Alpha Speirs said to take him alive.”

“Grant?” Bull checked.

“I don’t know,” Tab admitted, and Bull nodded slightly in sympathetic understanding.  He clamped down on his feelings, taking a deep breath as he watched the pack get organized.

“We’ll start with Third Battalion,” Guarnere mentioned, slapping Tab’s back as he passed.  He took Bull, Martin, Web, and Alley with him.  Malarkey, Babe, Toye, and Liebgott stood by, waiting on Tab.

There was a hand on his back and Tab turned to find Luz standing there, rifle over his shoulder.  “I’m coming with you.”

“I need you helping with the roadblocks,” Tab argued.

“Perco and them got it,” Luz insisted, gesturing to where their humans were already getting the replacements out to block off the roads.  “I’m stayin’ with you.”

It was pointless to argue.

In fact, it was probably good he had Luz with him.  Word was sent Guarnere’s team had found the bastard - a replacement from I Company - and when Tab smelled Chuck’s blood on the guy, he lost it.  Luz’s fingers grabbed onto his ruff, keeping Tab’s teeth away from the scared shitless private.

“Send for Speirs,” Liebgott ordered the replacements, his canines flashing when he turned to look at their captive.

The guy was at the mercy of one pissed off werewolf pack.  It was all Luz could do to pull their nearly feral Beta from the room, the door shutting behind them.  Not that it blocked out the sound of flesh on flesh, or the tang of fresh blood.

Tab was shaking when he shifted back, curled up against Luz and crying into his shoulder.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eep! I almost forgot to post again today. I've been in Beauty and the Beast heaven, so give me a break, lol. Thank you all for your kind words on the last chapter. I really appreciate the support guys. You've no idea.

Ron came in to find Talbert and Luz curled up on the floor.  “Al-alpha?” Talbert asked, rubbing fiercely at his eyes as he tried to untangle himself from Luz.

Ron’s focus was on the room he heard the activity coming from.  He slammed the door open, all eyes on him.  There was no missing the bloodlust in all the wolves’ eyes.  Ron’s, though, were zero’d to the bloody human in the chair.

Ron surged forward, snarling as he grabbed the man by the throat, knocking the chair back as Ron slammed the human to the wall.  “You fucked with the wrong pack.”  He squeezed harder, pleased with the rasping noises the man made.  “I could kill you right now.”

He could have.  But unlike with Dike, it would not be considered justified.  Dike had been assaulting his mate.  The only way he could have ended this kid on the spot was if he’d witnessed the shooting.

Instead, Ron was forced to throw the bastard across the floor, watching the blood trail form as he skid on the hardwood.  “Have the MP’s deal with this piece of shit,” he ordered, having to turn away before he let the wolf have its piece of flesh.

Talbert was in the doorway, looking conflicted.  “Chuck?” he asked, eyes red from crying.

“He’s gonna be just fine,” Ron assured.

Talbert sagged gratefully, eyes falling shut.  He let out a little yelp of surprise when Ron pulled him out of the room and into his arms.  He leaned back against the wall, holding Talbert close.  Ron nuzzled into the Beta’s hair, offering the comfort he had wanted to earlier.  Now that the culprit was dealt with, Ron could take care of his pack.

Ron scrubbed their cheeks together roughly, pressing scent into Talbert.  “I’ve got you,” he assured.  Talbert’s fingers curled into Ron’s jacket, biting back a whine.  “It’s alright.  Everyone’s alright.”  Ron ran the flat of his tongue along Talbert’s jaw, nose nuzzling at his neck.

_Grant looked like death.  His Beta was pale and unmoving, lying there on the road with a bullet hole in his gut.  He and Roe were the first ones at the scene, and Ron barked at the MP’s to take them to the aid station.  He helped Roe set a line for plasma, the MP’s only able to offer some basic first aid in the form of sulfa and a hastily placed bandage that was doing nothing from what Ron could tell._

_As the doctor examined him, Ron held Grant’s hand.  He thread their fingers together, using his other hand to rub the back of Grant’s.  “Come on,” Ron murmured when he bent over to press his forehead to Grant’s.  “Stay with us, Chuck.”  He squeezed Grant’s hand.  “Stay with us.”_

_The doors of the aid station banged open, and Talbert’s yell for his mate echoed through the room.  “Chuck!”_

“Chuck?”  Talbert pulled back a little, looking up at Ron with moist eyes.  “Can I see him?”

“He’s stable,” Ron confirmed.  “And they shouldn’t give you any trouble about sitting with him.”

Talbert nodding, biting his lip.  “Thank you, Alpha.”

Ron’s lips curled momentarily.  “Go on,” he encouraged.  His eyes fell on Luz, nodding towards Talbert’s retreating form.  “Stay with him,” he ordered softly.

Watching them go, Ron felt a body press against his back.  Ron was surprised to smell woodsmoke and spice.  Of all the wolves, he wouldn’t have expected Liebgott.

Ron didn’t say a word, just thread his fingers with one of the hands now locked around his waist, Liebgott’s cheek resting against the back of his shoulder.

* * *

“I got reports of a red-headed eskimo.”

Dick grinned upon hearing Nix, Carwood chuckling beside him.

“Morning, Nix,” Ron teased, sitting on the ground, leaning back on his hands.  While Dick and Carwood were dressed for a swim, Ron was in his uniform.

“Yeah, yeah.”  Nix waved him off.  Waking Nix was always a battle, and they’d all learned that unless it was a necessity, it wasn’t worth the trouble.

It wasn’t as though there was much in the way of duties these days.  Dick had overseen the surrender of a German battalion, and had delegated to the CO’s of Second Battalion to get the replacements trained up and keep the veterans sharp.  Though no one was surprised that Dick took personal interest in Easy.

Ron had it handled, with plenty of help from Carwood and Harry.  They trusted the NCO’s to oversee most of it on their own, but they tried to make themselves available to help - especially since Grant was down, and Ron didn’t have the heart to tell Tab to come away from his partner’s bedside.

“What’s that?” Carwood asked, motioning to the package Nix was carrying.

“Ask Dick,” Nix replied, holding it out to him.  “Vest came by with it.”

“It came already?”

Now all of his mates were curious.  Carwood sat next to him on the stone ledge, while Nix sat beside Ron, who had scoot closer.

“Ran into the regimental photographer,” Dick explained as he unwrapped the brown package to find an accordion file.  “Said he had photos of Easy going all the way back to Toccoa.  So I traded him for a couple of Lugers.”

Dick chuckled at the first photo he pulled out.  It was he and Nix, in their dress uniforms, after getting their wings.  He passed it over to Nix, watching his face light up.

“Should have some of the whole pack,” Dick continued.

Carwood leaned in to look over Dick’s shoulder.  “Geez,” he said, chuckling.  He reached out to take the print as Dick pulled it out.  It was Webster, beaming at the camera, arm around Roe’s waist - who was looking less than thrilled at being photographed.

There were more photos like that they passed around.  Of course there were a few that were bitter sweet - Tipper, Smokey, Buck, those too injured to return to them - and the ones that hit too close to home right now - Hoobler, Muck, Penk, those that were lost to the pack forever.

They were all fond memories though.  “Almost seems like a different time,” Dick mused.

“It was,” Carwood replied.  “We were all different people back then.”  He waved a picture of a bunch of the pack in their PT gear.

It wasn’t just Toccoa, of course.  There were photos after D-Day, and their jump in Holland.  Apparently the photographer was around in Hagenau as well.  The years war had put on them were obvious, the hell they had all gone through in Bastogne.

Even so, as Dick looked, the pack was still strong.  The smiles returned, and the tension eased, as their journey continued.  There was even an impressive picture of all the officers and NCO’s sitting on the terrace at the Eagle’s Nest.  There were pictures of pack _laughing_ and _happy_.

“I’m gonna miss them,” Ron admitted.

Dick looked across at him.  Resignation and something akin to regret was written into the lines of Ron’s body.  “We’ll see them again.”  Ron looked up at him.  “We’re not losing them, Ron.”

Ron nodded slowly.  He clearly wanted to believe it, and Dick couldn’t really blame him for the doubt.

“There was someone at the party taking pictures, wasn’t there?” Nix prompted.  “Same guy?”

“Yeah.”  Dick flicked through towards the back of the folder to see if any of those pictures made it in.  He grinned when he pulled them out.

The pack had thrown them a surprise anniversary party.  Honestly, Dick had forgotten all about it, what with his duties.  Apparently, Nix was the only one that had remembered.  When asked why he hadn’t reminded them, Nix only smiled and said that he didn’t needed anything special to mark the occasion - _“I have you.  Why would I need anything else?”_

Among the photos of all the pack happily celebrating, there were a couple stand-outs.  “This,” Dick mentioned, turning a picture around to show them, “is going on the mantel.”

Ron scoffed and rolled his eyes, but his expression was fond.  It was a posed photo of them with the pack - those that were left - and Dick felt his heart swell with love and pride.

“I like this one better,” Ron countered, holding up his own find.  It was a candid photo of just the four of them.  What they were smiling about, Dick couldn’t remember.  But there was no doubt when looking at it, that they were happy and still so very much in love.

“The mantel, huh?” Nix said.  “Y’know, we’ve never actually talked about what we’re doing after this.  We’ve been living in this bubble.  But sooner or later, we’re going back home.”

“But where’s home?” Carwood agreed.

Dick raised a shoulder.  “I guess it’s wherever we want it to be.”

“I don’t really care where we go,” Ron said.  Dick didn’t need to ask.  Ron was never all that close to his family, or his home pack.

“I will happily stay far away from Nixon, New Jersey,” Nix scoffed in turn.  No surprise there given Nix never got along with his folks and they were also more than a little ticked off with him about their mating.

Dick looked over at Carwood.  Unlike their other mates, he and Carwood were both close to their families.  Dick was very invested in his home pack.  Carwood helped his mother run the boarding house while looking out for his siblings.  Dick didn’t want to take him away from that.

“I can see the self-sacrificing thoughts from here,” Carwood mentioned.

“You’re family’s important, Car.  I don’t want you to leave them.”

“I wouldn’t be _leaving_.  It’s not as though I couldn’t visit.”

“Pennsylvania _is_ in between all of our families,” Ron reasoned, his own being in Boston.  “It would make traveling more convenient.”

Dick had no argument there.  So he turned to Nix in a bid to even the playing field.  “You’d be bored out of your mind.”

Nix shrugged.  “Not any more bored than _West Virginia_.  And we’d be able to take trips to New York, Chicago…”

Dick huffed air from his nose, shaking his head.  Somehow he’d been taken completely off-guard by all of them.  It made him wonder if they hadn’t talked about this beforehand.  “I suppose we can look for a place.  No matter where we live, though, we should go visit all our families first and see about having a proper mating ceremony.”  His mother had already thrown a _fit_ over that one.  His father was more understanding.

“Scratch my folks,” Nix replied, “and we’ll call that plan settled.”

“Lew, they’re going to have to get over it sometime.”

“Yeah, they will.  But that isn’t going to be any time soon.  So let’s skip the meet-and-greet, okay?”

“Alright, Nix,” Dick soothed, taking his hand and running his thumb across Nix’s knuckles.

Carwood was gathering up the photos to put back in the folder.  “We can finish looking at these later,” he mentioned.  “I want to get a good swim in before we have to go inspect Easy later.”

Nix groaned at the mention of work.

“Awake yet?” Ron teased.

“Awake?”  Nix let out a sound between a scoff and a laugh.  “Time for bed.”

Ron’s grin was canine and Dick shifted out of the way immediately.  Sure enough, Ron lunged forward, taking he and Nix right off the edge of the rocks and into the lake.  Nix came up sputtering insults while Ron laughed.

“You’re dead, Sparky.”  Nix flailed, dunking Ron’s head underwater.

Dick and Carwood were laughing as they shed their shirts to join them.


	12. Chapter 12

“Just take your time,” Tab encouraged.  “Go easy.”

“Floyd,” Chuck said, the use of his given name a red flag, “I’m fine.”

“You’re still recovering,” Tab rebuked.

Chuck couldn’t argue there.  He’d been up walking around for only a week.  For the most part, the doctors wanted him to stay off his feet to not pull any stitches or rip anything important.  Even with a werewolf’s accelerated healing, it was going to take time.

Bless his mate-to-be, Tab had been there every day at the aid station, even if it was only for a bit.  With Chuck down, Tab had to pick up the mantel of Beta again, and despite their light duties, they were also working to train up the replacements for the eventual jump into the Pacific.  Chuck only hoped he was well enough to make the jump with them - he didn’t want to be left behind.

“Easy,” Tab encouraged, supporting more of Chuck’s weight as they went over some uneven terrain.

In the field ahead of them, there was a baseball diamond that had been created, and Easy Company was already well into a game.  Chuck couldn’t help but smile.  He’d always loved baseball, and there was the bonus of being out in the sunshine and among his packmates.

“Grant?  What are you doing all the way out here?” Bull asked when he spotted their hobbling approach.

“Should you be walking this much?” Martin added.

“Need a hand?” Luz offered.

“Can you find him somethin’ to sit on?” Tab asked Luz before Chuck could throttle them.  He knew they were all worried, but he wasn’t an invalid.

“Who’s winning?” Chuck asked instead.  He thanked Luz, who showed up with a crate from the back of one of the trucks sitting around.

“We’re down by three,” Martin replied, getting the hint.

“Not if I ever get to bat,” Bull argued, cigar in the corner of his mouth.

“We might need some help, Tab,” Luz commented, getting a playful shove from Bull for his trouble.

Chuck laughed.  God, how he’d missed this, just being with the pack.  He’d had a few visitors outside of Tab and the Alphas, of course, but it didn’t beat being among them like this.

“Sure, I’ll play,” Tab agreed.  He looked down at Chuck.  “That alright?”

Chuck smiled.  “Of course it is.”  He swatted at Tab’s hip.  “Have fun.”

Tab leaned down then, kissing him slow and deep.  “I love you,” he spoke against Chuck’s lips.

Chuck opened his eyes to look at Tab.  “Love you too… mate.”

Tab’s eyes sparkled in happiness, the scent of vanilla tickling Chuck’s nose.  If it was one thing that Chuck had learned for certain with his near death experience, it was that life with too damn short.  The first coherent thought in his mind when he woke up was of Tab.  The first thing he’d said when he saw Tab’s tear-stained face was that he wanted to get mated.

It might not have been official yet, but Tab was his, and he wanted Tab to know it.  Chuck nuzzled their faces together, enjoying their combined scent that hadn’t changed since Holland, when Tab gave him a bunch of wildflowers as a courting gift.  This was his mate, his whole world, and nothing was going to take that away from him.

* * *

“Are you allowed to be out here?”

“At least say ‘hi’ first, Gene,” Babe muttered.  He’d been standing next to Grant, talking, when Gene came off the field.

“I see ‘im most every day,” Gene pointed out needlessly.  Outside Talbert, Gene was Grant’s most frequent visitor.  Maybe Alpha Speirs.  Gene was suspicious that their Alpha somehow thought it was his fault, that Grant had been injured - and almost killed - on his watch.

“I got cleared to come out here,” Grant assured.

Gene narrowed his gaze, looking closely for any signs of deception.  He found none.  “Alrigh’ then.”  He relaxed a little.  “Good to see you up an’ around.”

Grant offered him a lopsided, half-smile.

Gene bent over, pressing his nose to the back of Grant’s jaw in a show of respect.  Grant rubbed their heads together in turn.

“Just go easy,” Gene warned before letting Babe pull him away.

“You’re awful,” his mate-to-be griped.

“My job is to take care a the pack.”

“Chuck’s got his own doctors, y’know.”

“So?”

Babe sighed, resting his forehead on Gene’s shoulder.  “I dunno wha’ to do wit’ you, Gene.  I really don’t.”

“Oh God.”  Gene didn’t have to look to recognize that voice.  Toye was sitting in the grass, eyeballing Gene.  Given how much Gene had been fussing over him when he first got back, Gene understood the reaction.

“Mother Hen has arrived,” Guarnere added, sitting beside Toye.

“Don’t instigate,” Babe hissed.

Gene really didn’t think he was that bad.

“Gene,” Babe continued.  “Do me a favor an’ ignore ‘em, huh?  In fact, ignore the whole pack.  I’m beggin’ ya.”

Gene smiled when he realized Babe was probably a little jealous he spent so much of his time flitting around the pack members, taking care of them, making sure they were recovering from various injuries.  It was likely aggravating as well.

Since he certainly didn’t want Babe to feel like he was being ignored, Gene did as requested.  He shifted into his wolf form, something he did a lot less than his packmates, looking up at Babe in invitation.

Babe grinned from ear to ear, shifting into his wolf form and practically dancing in excitement.

Gene bopped his nose to Babe’s shoulder before taking off at a run, Babe hot on his heels.

* * *

“Hey!” Joe shouted as he was side-swiped by a certain red wolf in pursuit of a small timber.  Joe snorted.  “Assholes.”

Beside him, David was laughing.  “That looks like fun actually.”

Joe couldn’t disagree.  The human members of the pack had made a “no shifting” rule for the game, citing it would be unfair.  They would be correct, but then Joe was always more for using the fact he was a wolf to his advantage.

“Jus’ ‘cause your team is losin’, Web…”

David gave him a shove.  “Just ‘cause you know you can’t keep up with me…”

Joe raised his brows.  “Oh, really now?”

David grinned.  It was so on.

Before Joe could act, their Alpha’s voice carried over the field.  “Easy Company!  School circle!”

It turned out Winters and Nixon had joined them, and it was the former that had an announcement for them.  “This morning, President Truman received the unconditional surrender from the Japanese.”

Joe felt goosebumps break out over his arms.  That meant-

“War’s over.  We’re going home.”

There was a collective stunned silence before they all burst into cheers.  Joe turned to David, picking his mate off his feet and kissing the laughter from his lips.

* * *

“We’re really going home?” Carwood asked in disbelief.

Dick grinned, pulling Carwood in to kiss him.  Warmth and happiness poured off his mate in waves, the fresh scent of Spring.

“Come ‘ere, Sparky,” Nix said, and Dick looked to find them sharing a kiss as well.

Dick’s lips quirked, stepping up to Ron next.  “Ron,” he rumbled, watching his fellow wolf shiver at the sound.  The kiss they shared was like a spark, filled with the thrill of going home.

Meanwhile, Carwood had jumped into Nix’s arms, Nix managing to pick him off his feet a moment.  Dick knew Carwood could have spun Nix around, but Carwood thought better of it obviously, instead kissing Nix in excitement.

“We’re really going home,” Nix said in something close to awe and disbelief, looking between them.  Even Dick and Nix were still trying to wrap their head around it, having come straight from regimental headquarters when the word was passed.

“Yeah,” Dick replied fondly, looking over his shoulder to where the pack was celebrating, “we are.”

Ron stepped up beside him and reminded, “We’ll see them.”

Dick turned his attention to his mate, giving Ron a grateful smile.  “We will.”  Of that he had no doubt.  “Come on,” he encouraged, arm wrapping around Ron’s waist, his other hand reaching out for Carwood.

As the four of them headed back for their quarters, Dick wasn’t surprised to find the pack following.  Wolves ran by in form, and some humans too, the flurry of activity surrounding them.

There were two things that Dick knew for certain.  He was going to find a nice, quiet piece of land to settle down on with his mates by his side.  And they were always going to be the Alphas of a ragtag group known as Easy Company.

/End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for riding along on another journey with the Easy Pack. Hope y'all enjoyed!
> 
> Follow me on [Tumblr](http://thedenofcaseywolfe.tumblr.com/).


End file.
